German Mayor Stabbed Outside Home

Police Launch Manhunt After Brutal Attack on Newly Elected German Mayor Outside His Residence

In a violent and shocking attack that has sent shockwaves through the tranquil town of Herdecke in western Germany, newly-elected mayor Iris Stalzer, 57, was brutally stabbed close to her home and is fighting for her life, the authorities confirmed.

Stalzer, a local member of Germany’s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), had just won the September mayoral election and was yet to be formally sworn in. What was to have been the beginning of a promising new chapter in the life of Herdecke has now been tainted with tragedy.

Police initiated a large-scale investigation in the North-Rhine Westphalian town, leaving no options open — even a possible family link. Security sources confirmed that police had earlier registered an episode of domestic violence in the family this summer.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz decried the stabbing as “a heinous act,” adding with alarm, “We fear for the life of the mayor-elect, Iris Stalzer, and hope for her full recovery.”

The SPD issued a statement saying it was in deep shock, and Herdecke’s Deputy Mayor Dennis Osberg sent Stalzer a “speedy recovery,” stating the whole community was “stunned and heartbroken” at the attack.

The victim reportedly had several stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. She was treated at the scene by emergency workers before being flown to a Bochum hospital.

Police indicated that Stalzer’s two adopted kids — an 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy — alerted others to the incident with a call for assistance around lunchtime. Both were subsequently taken in for questioning as forensic experts in protective gear searched the scene.

As investigators piece together the events that led to the attack, Herdecke — a town known for its calm — now finds itself grappling with disbelief, fear, and a collective hope that its mayor will pull through.

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