Right-wing link in Germany knife attack
Print Edition
German police said yesterday a man arrested for a knife attack on a pro-refugee politician was deemed mentally fit to face justice, had voiced “xenophobic sentiments” and had a history of far-right activism.
The 44-year-old man slashed the neck of a mayoral candidate in the western city of Cologne on Saturday and wounded four others in a crime that shocked Germany as it grapples with a record migrant influx.
The candidate, Henriette Reker, 58 — an independent close to the ruling Christian Democrats of Chancellor Angela Merkel — suffered serious wounds but was in a stable condition yesterday.
An initial psychological assessment of the unemployed suspect found “no evidence to diminish his criminal responsibility”, said police and prosecutors in a joint statement.
He was to face a custodial judge on one charge of attempted murder and four counts of causing grievous bodily harm.
After his arrest at the scene, police said the suspect had made statements that “suggested xenophobic sentiments”.
“He said he had in the past been active in the right-wing scene, without giving further details,” the statement said indicating that his involvement dated back to the 1990s.
Despite the attack, voting was under way on Sunday for the mayorship of Cologne, Germany’s fourth-largest city which has a population of 980,000.
Reker, who has coordinated city efforts to accommodate refugees, is seen as having a good chance of winning.
Hospital sources told local media she was expected to make a full recovery.
Security experts have warned of the threat of political violence due to rising tensions sparked by the record influx of refugees to Germany, which is expecting to register between 800,000 and one million asylum requests this year.
Domestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen warned last month of a radicalization of right-wing groups and “a greater willingness to use violence” by all extremist groups.
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