German mayoral candidate wounded in knife attack
A candidate to be mayor of the German city of Cologne was stabbed and seriously wounded Saturday by a man who claimed anti-foreigner motives, an attack that Germany's interior minister said underlined growing concerns over hatred and violence in the refugee crisis.
Henriette Reker was stabbed in the neck at a campaign stand set up by Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats at a market. She suffered serious injuries but her condition was stable, police chief Wolfgang Albers said.
Reker is an independent candidate in Sunday's election for the new mayor of Germany's fourth-biggest city, but is backed by Merkel's conservatives and two other parties. The 58-year-old currently heads Cologne's social affairs and integration department, and is responsible for refugee housing.
