Germany has been shaken by the violent att@ck on Iris Staltzer, the 57-year-old mayor of the small Bavarian town of Rosenheim, who was st@bbed multiple times outside her residence late Friday night.
According to local police reports, Staltzer was assaulted shortly after returning home from a community event. Neighbours heard screams and alerted emergency services, who found her bleeding and unconscious near her front gate.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors confirmed she remains in critical but stable condition.
Germany’s opposition leader Friedrich Merz condemned the incident, describing it as a “heinous and cowardly act”, and urged security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice swiftly.
“Violence against public servants is an assault on democracy itself,” Merz said in a statement on Saturday morning.
Police have launched a nationwide manhunt for the suspect, though no arrests have been made as of press time. Investigators are exploring all possible motives, including political retaliation and personal grievances.
The shocking incident has reignited conversations about rising violence against public officials in Europe, with calls for tighter security around local leaders.