Political attack? German Mayor Hollstein stabbed for sheltering refugees

A German Mayor known for his welcoming stance towards refugees has been seriously injured in a knife attack which authorities said was likely politically motivated.

Andreas Hollstein, the 54-year-old conservative Mayor of west German town of Altena, was stabbed in the neck at a kebab shop on Monday evening, the Independent reported.

The attacker, identified as a 56-year-old German man and described by local media as drunk, approached Hollstein and asked whether he was the town's Mayor before loudly criticizing his migrant policies and slicing his neck with a 30-centimetre blade.

The assailant was overpowered by people at the scene.

 

Hollstein was taken to the hospital but discharged the same day. "I was very lucky. I had some hands-on people by my side and am happy that I'm still alive," the Mayor told reporters on Tuesday.

Hollstein, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, gained national renown and won an award for his open migrant policies in Altena, often pushing to take in more people than required by official quotas.

According to the Mayor, before launching the attack his assailant said: "You're letting me die of thirst, but you bring 200 refugees to Altena."

Merkel said: "I am appalled by the knife attack... and very relieved that he is back with his family."

The attack against Hollstein bore similar characteristics to a knife assault on Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker in 2015.

He also suffered injuries to the neck during an apparent assassination attempt, which the perpetrator later confessed was motivated by xenophobia and his opposition to the influx of refugees.