German Police Officer Dies After Being Stabbed by Afghan Immigrant

German police officers commemorate a colleague in Mannheim Germany, after learning that a police officer, who was stabbed two days ago there, has died on June 2, 2024. (AP)
German police officers commemorate a colleague in Mannheim Germany, after learning that a police officer, who was stabbed two days ago there, has died on June 2, 2024. (AP)
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German Police Officer Dies After Being Stabbed by Afghan Immigrant

German police officers commemorate a colleague in Mannheim Germany, after learning that a police officer, who was stabbed two days ago there, has died on June 2, 2024. (AP)
German police officers commemorate a colleague in Mannheim Germany, after learning that a police officer, who was stabbed two days ago there, has died on June 2, 2024. (AP)

A German police officer, who was stabbed in the neck two days ago by an Afghan immigrant at a right-wing demonstration in Mannheim, has succumbed to his injuries.

“A German police officer died of his injuries after being stabbed several times while trying to pull somebody clear of a knife attack on Friday,” according to the Federal Public Prosecution Office, which is investigating the stabbing.

The 29-year-old officer was the only person who died during the knife attack that left five other people injured in the central square of Mannheim.

The attack took place during an anti-Islamist protest led by Michael Sturzenberger, who was the main target of the attack and among those wounded.

A livestream broadcast from central Mannheim on Friday had shown Stuerzenberger preparing to address a small crowd at an event by the Pax Europa Movement.

The suspect was shot by police and he was alive but in the hospital. He is in no fit state to be interrogated, and therefore, his motives and the reason for his attack required further investigation. The suspect had no criminal record and had not come to law enforcement's attention in the past.

The attack caused a wave of widespread condemnations across Germany and again opened a debate about the danger posed by extremists in the country.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stressed that anyone glorifying such acts of violence must face the full severity of criminal law, underscoring the government’s commitment to pursuing these matters vigorously.

The Green Party’s responses included statements from Ricarda Lang, who said: “Islamism is the enemy of a free society. And it must be treated as such and must be combated, in terms of security policy and society as a whole. There can be no excuses, no justification.”

Lang then called for the closure of the Islamic Center of Hamburg which she said is controlled from Tehran.

Last year, Germany's federal police had raided the Center on suspicions of support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is accused of terrorism.

According to Lang, the center should have been closed long ago. “I still can't understand why it is still open,” she said.



UN: Record 281 Aid Workers Killed in 2024

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has seen more than 200 staff killed since the Gaza war began. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has seen more than 200 staff killed since the Gaza war began. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
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UN: Record 281 Aid Workers Killed in 2024

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has seen more than 200 staff killed since the Gaza war began. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has seen more than 200 staff killed since the Gaza war began. Eyad BABA / AFP/File

A staggering 281 aid workers have been killed around the world so far this year, making 2024 the deadliest year for humanitarians, the UN aid chief said Friday.
"Humanitarian workers are being killed at an unprecedented rate, their courage and humanity being met with bullets and bombs," said Tom Fletcher, the United Nations' new under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.
With more than a month left to go of 2024, the "grim milestone was reached", he said, after 280 humanitarians were killed across 33 countries during all of 2023.
"This violence is unconscionable and devastating to aid operations," Fletcher said.
Israel's devastating war in Gaza was driving up the numbers, his office said, with 333 aid workers killed there -- most from the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA -- since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks, which sparked the war, AFP reported.
"States and parties to conflict must protect humanitarians, uphold international law, prosecute those responsible, and call time on this era of impunity," Fletcher said.
Aid workers were subject to kidnappings, injuries, harassment and arbitrary detention in a range of countries, his office said, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Ukraine.
The majority of deaths involve local staff working with non-governmental organizations, UN agencies and the Red Cross Red Crescent movement, Fletcher's office said.
"Violence against humanitarian personnel is part of a broader trend of harm to civilians in conflict zones," it warned.
"Last year, more than 33,000 civilian deaths were recorded in 14 armed conflicts -- a staggering 72 per cent increase from 2022."
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution last May in response to the surging violence and threats against aid workers.
The text called for recommendations from the UN chief -- set to be presented at a council meeting next week -- on measures to prevent and respond to such incidents and to increase protection for humanitarian staff and accountability for abuses.