This is the first picture of a German police officer who died after being stabbed in the neck at a far-right rally.
Rouven L, 29, was killed during a knife attack that left five other people injured on the central square of Mannheim, officials said Sunday.
The officer was stabbed several times in the head and neck and underwent emergency surgery after the attack Friday, officials said.
The officer was placed in an artificial coma but succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
The policeman was being kept alive by a heart-lung machine. He reportedly donated his organs and had his parents as well as his partner by his side when he died, according to local reports.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he was “deeply grieved” and that the officer’s “commitment to the safety of us all deserves the highest recognition.”
Two dozen of the officer’s colleagues paid tribute to their fallen comrade, removing their hats during a gathering Sunday at the site of the attack
The suspect, a 25-year-old from Afghanistan, was shot and wounded by another officer. He remained hospitalised and a judge has ordered him held on suspicion of attempted murder. Police and prosecutors have not provided a motive for the attack, saying the suspect was not in a condition to be questioned.
The attack took place during an event held by Pax Europa, which describes itself as an organisation that informs the public about the “dangers posed by the increasing spread and influence of political Islam.”
Michael Stürzenberger, a 59-year-old anti-Islamist activist who is one of the group’s leading figures and has spoken at its events, was among those wounded.
Stürzenberger told Bild about the attack, he said: “We were about to start the event when he suddenly came storming at us like a hurricane and stabbed one after the other. It was insane. I guess even the police were surprised.
“He stabbed my thigh which someone immediately isolated. One stab wound above the knee, it could have been worse. Another on the side of the chest, my upper arm is injured and three stab wounds to the head. My upper lip was cut and I have a deep cut to my jaw.”
On Facebook he added: “A big thank you to all the doctors and facial surgeons who came from a specialty clinic.”
The other victims were four men ages 25, 36, 42, and 54. The 54-year-old man suffered injuries that were initially life-threatening, but he was now out of danger.