German mayor Iris Stalzer accuses teen daughter of Herdecke stabbing, say cops

A newly elected mayor of a town who was found at her home with stab wounds may have been attacked by her teenage daughter, detectives believe.

Iris Stalzer, 57, was elected as the mayor of Herdecke in western Germany on September 28 and is due to take office on November 1. Police said emergency services were alerted shortly after midday on Tuesday by her daughter, who reported that Ms Stalzer had been seriously wounded outside her house in an attempted robbery.

Police went to the house, where they found Ms Stalzer sitting in a chair with multiple stab wounds and determined that the attack appeared to have happened indoors. She was flown to a hospital by helicopter.

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And in an update police said on Wednesday that she is now out of danger and the investigation has turned towards her teenage daughter. Investigators found two knives and clothing in the house which are believed to have been used in the attack, and detained Ms Stalzer's 17-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son.

When questioned on Tuesday evening, Ms Stalzer pointed to her daughter as the suspect, police investigator Jens Rautenberg said. There was no immediate information on the nature of the family conflict that preceded the stabbing.

Mr Rautenberg declined to comment on a possible motive at a news conference in the nearby city of Hagen, saying that is still a matter for investigation. Prosecutor Bernd Haldorn said he considers it a case of bodily harm, and that police and prosecutors at present intend to release the children and put them in the hands of the youth welfare office, which would decide on further measures while the investigation continues.

The attack on Ms Stalzer, which followed violence against other local politicians in Germany in recent years, drew swift condemnation from Chancellor Friedrich Merz and others.

"We have received news of a terrible deed in Herdecke," Chancellor Merz wrote on social media following the attack. "It must be swiftly investigated. We fear for the life of the mayor-designate and hope for her full recovery."

Ms Stalzer - an employment lawyer - is part of the centre-left Social Democrats and beat a centre-right Christian Democrat candidate to secure the position as mayor. But investigators quickly determined that there was no sign of a political motive.

There was a large police presence in Herdecke, a town of about 23,000 between Hagen and Dortmund, after the incident, with a helicopter landing nearby to take her to hospital.