The newly elected German mayor stabbed in the midst of growing political violence

The recently elected mayor of a city in western Germany was in critical condition on Tuesday after she was found at home with multiple neck injuries and abdomen.

Iris Stalzer, 57, social democratic of the center who obtained her elected mayor at the end of last month, dragged herself at home after several men attacked her, according to her 15-year-old son, Reuters citing the German media Bild.

But according to the investigators, “a close family involvement cannot be excluded at present”, and the son of Stalzer and the 17 -year -old daughter have also been brought for interrogation.

The police bring a teenager to a police car after the newly elected mayor of Hardecke, Iris Stalzer, was attacked on October 7, 2025 in Herdecke, Germany. (Alex Talash / Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

3 presumed members of Hamas accused of having plotted against Jewish institutions in Germany

It is not known who called the police and how speed the emergency stakeholders arrived at the scene, although police officers blocked the street outside his home and launched an immediate investigation.

The elected mayor of Hardecke – a city of around 20,000 in the largest German state of Rhineland in North Westphalia on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands – was flying for life by helicopter in a neighboring hospital.

The attack on Stalzer comes after an unusually controversial election, according to reports, in which she ousted a conservative mayor.

The emergency services responsible for the newly elected mayor of Hardecke, Iris Stalzer in a helicopter before being for life in the neighboring hospital on October 7, 2025 in Herdecke, Germany. (Alex Talash / Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

Munich Oktoberfest Fairgroups closed after a threat of bomb and a deadly explosion

Although the authorities have not pointed out any reason behind the attack, Stalzer is the last politician to feel violence in the midst of a worrying trend in Germany.

Several German officials were attacked last year at the events related to the campaign and, according to Reuters, some 60% of German politicians reported violence at least once – which aroused an increasing concern of officials concerning the public.

German Chancellor Fredrick Merz replied the news of the attack in a post on X and called it “an abominable act”.

The newly elected mayor of Hardecke, Iris Stalzer (SPD), was found seriously injured in his home on October 7, 2025 in Hedecke, Germany. (Alex Talash / Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

Click here to obtain the Fox News app

“We are worried about the life of the designated mayor Iris Stalzer and hope for his full recovery. My thoughts go to his family and loved ones,” he said after calling for an investigation.

Northern Rhine-Westphalia police officials could not be reached immediately to comment on this report.