German mayoral candidate Henriette Reker stabbed in the neck 'for supporting refugees'

Home Top

Khloe is a 'shell of herself': She gets a visit from her best-friend during 24/7 vigil at Lamar's bedside in hospital - after he finally woke from his coma and said 'Hey Baby' three days after bender
Deadly sea snakes wash up on California beaches for the first time in THIRTY YEARS as El Nino plays havoc with Pacific climate
Could this be the beginning of the end for McDonald's? Franchisees say all-day breakfast is a disaster as company struggles to find its way
The pointlessness of the long distance runner: You can run as many marathons as you like but you'll still be fat, say scientists
Dreaming of a white OCTOBER? Early snowstorms hit the Midwest and New England as coldest air mass of the season sweeps across the United States
'A raging river of mud': Shocking photos of the hundreds of cars and trucks completely CONSUMED by 6ft-deep California mudslide
Get ready for 'The Monster': Forecasters reveal El Niño will bring a cold and wet winter but say it WON'T be enough to ease California's drought
Johnny Manziel pulled over by police after domestic dispute with girlfriend who tells cops the troubled football star had been drinking and slammed her head in a window
Uber driver who raped a woman in the back of his car, and was linked to five others, is sent to jail for a decade
Spain's King Juan Carlos branded Queen Letizia a 'common divorcee' and joked she was 'just the maid' before she became his daughter-in-law
The most instagrammed spots in America: Infographic reveals the most popular photo opportunities in the country
American Horror Story branded 'vile' by parent watchdog over 'unbelievable explicit combination of sex and violence'
'He pointed the gun right at my face': Oregon shooting hero speaks for the first time to tell how gunman shot him as 'punishment for calling the cops' - but let him live after he pleaded for his life
New Jersey house where Bruce Springsteen wrote Born to Run hits market for $299,000
Pictured: The two suspects who stabbed train hero Spencer Stone in the chest in fight outside bar and left him fighting for life
Jeb Bush hits back at Trump's 'pathetic' attempt to blame George W. Bush for 9/11 - 'Say what you want, the World Trade Center came down during his time'
New York mayor Bill de Blasio meets with counterparts in Israel amid escalating violence in the region which has left 40 Palestinians and seven Israelis dead
Obama to announce 'drone registry' as concerns mount about the numbers flying and possible collisions with aircraft
A 'positive' step or 'political correctness gone mad'? War of words over controversial new handicapped access sign showing stick figure in an 'active' pose
Israelis shoot dead another three Palestinian 'knife attackers' as violent clashes continue in Hebron and Jerusalem
Revealed: Incredible romance between a British Spitfire ace and aristocratic student who became the world's first sex change couple
Etihad accused of helping pilot jump bail and get out of America after 'drunken rampage' in Chicago hotel
Incredible video shows foolhardy Ukrainians listening to the radio - just by touching WEEDS against a 50,000-watt transmitter station
Forget a detox, now there's a cake cleanse: The new diet that lets you eat dessert for breakfast, lunch and dinner - and STILL lose weight

Mayoral candidate for German city Cologne, Henriette Reker, was stabbed
Police said a 44-year-old man sprang on her as she campaigned in the city
An aide was seriously injured, while three others received minor injuries
Ms Reker has been instrumental in organising accommodation for refugees

Published: 11:36 EST, 17 October 2015 | Updated: 13:22 EST, 17 October 2015

View
comments

Henriette Reker, who is running for mayor of the city of Cologne as an independent, and one of her aides were left severely injured after being stabbed

A German mayoral candidate has been stabbed in the neck, in an attack that is believed to have been because of her support for refugees.

Henriette Reker, who is running for mayor of the city of Cologne as an independent, and one of her aides were left severely injured in the savage assault.

A 44-year-old man sprang on the pair while they were campaigning in the western German city, police said.

Three other people were also injured, although not seriously.

Norbert Wagner, head of the police criminal investigation unit in Cologne, said the attack on Reker was ‘targeted and deliberate’.

‘In his plea, he said that he committed this act out of xenophobic motivation,’ Wagner continued.

‘From our initial investigations, we have ascertained that he probably acted alone. So far, we have no knowledge of other people taking part in this sad act.’

Cologne Police Chief Wolfgang Albers said Ms Reker has been involved in the supporting and helping to house refugees in the city.

‘At the moment she is stable, but not out of the woods yet,’ he added.

Germany, a top destination for migrants, expects to receive up to a million new arrivals this year. But many Germans feel that the country cannot cope with the record numbers of refugees.

Police said the attack stabbed Ms Reker and her aide at around 9am (7am GMT) at an information stand for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, the Christian Democrats (CDU).

A 44-year-old man sprang on the pair while they were campaigning in the western German city, police said

Cologne Police Chief Wolfgang Albers said Ms Reker has been involved in the supporting and helping to house refugees in the city

The other three people were injured immediately afterwards.

Eyewitnesses said that the attacker headed straight for Ms Reker.

‘She had arrived here just a few minutes before,’ said Bernd Petelkau, a local CDU official. ‘She was talking to two other party members when it happened.’

Ms Reker is running as an independent but is supported by the CDU, the Free Democrats and the Greens.

Cologne is due to hold elections for mayor on Sunday.

Ms Reker is loaded into an ambulance before being rushed to hospital, after being seriously injured in the attack

Cologne Police Chief said that Ms Reker is now stable, but 'is not out of the woods yet' following the assault

Police guard the scene from intruders following the stabbing in Cologne. Ms Reker has been instrumental in organising accommodation for Germany's refugees

Germany, a top destination for migrants, expects to receive up to a million new arrivals this year. But many Germans feel that the country cannot cope with the record numbers of refugees