Iris Stalzer, the newly elected mayor of Herdecke in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia, is in life-threatening condition after suffering multiple stab wounds, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
According to initial reports, the 57-year-old Social Democrat (SPD) was attacked outside her residence around midday. Despite her injuries, she managed to reach her apartment, where her son later found her critically wounded. Local media reported that Stalzer told him she had been assaulted by several men in the street.
Emergency services rushed her to hospital, where she is receiving intensive treatment. Public broadcaster WDR said police led a teenager away from the house in handcuffs, though investigators have not disclosed further details. The motive for the attack is still unknown.
News of the attack has drawn strong reactions from political leaders. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) condemned what he called a “heinous act,” urging a swift investigation while expressing hope for Stalzer’s recovery. SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch also voiced deep concern, saying he hoped the politician would survive the “terrible act.”
The incident comes in the wake of a heated regional campaign in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, which politicians described as unusually harsh and combative in tone. While investigators have not determined a motive, the case has evoked memories of past political violence, including the 2019 murder of Walter Lübcke, a conservative local government president and supporter of Angela Merkel’s refugee policy, who was shot dead by a far-right extremist at his home.
Stalzer, a mother of two and longtime labor lawyer, secured victory in Herdecke’s mayoral runoff election on September 28, winning 52.2% of the vote against Christian Democrat (CDU) candidate Fabian Conrad Haas. Her win ended the CDU’s long hold on the office in the town of 23,000 residents.
Police remain on the scene as the investigation continues.
