A recently elected mayor in Germany has been critically injured after being stabbed multiple times outside her home.
Iris Stalzer, the Social Democratic mayor of Herdecke in northwestern Germany, was airlifted to the hospital following the suspected knife attack, according to foreign media reports.
The 57-year-old mother of two reportedly suffered 13 stab wounds to her abdomen and back, according to the German newspaper Bild. Stalzer allegedly told her son that the attack was carried out by a group of men.
Reports indicate she was stabbed near her residence before being dragged inside, as reported by Welt newspaper. Police have launched a search for the attackers.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was informed of the “appalling act” in Herdecke.
Stalzer was elected mayor on September 28, winning approximately 52% of the vote in the city of 22,500 inhabitants in the Ruhr region.
