BERLIN: Investigators said Wednesday that the newly elected mayor of a German town who was found at her home with stab wounds apparently was attacked by her teenage daughter, and that her life is no longer in danger. Iris Stalzer, 57, was elected as the mayor of Herdecke in western Germany on Sept. 28 and is due to take office on Nov. 1. Police said emergency services were alerted shortly after noon Tuesday by her daughter, who reported that Stalzer had been seriously wounded outside her house in an attempted robbery. Police went to Stalzer&#39;s house, where they found her 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. Police said Wednesday that she is now out of danger. Investigators at the house found two knives and clothing believed to have been used in the attack, and detained Stalzer&#39;s 17-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son. When questioned on Tuesday evening, 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. 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 Stalzer, which followed violence against other local politicians in Germany in recent years, drew swift condemnation from Chancellor Friedrich Merz and others. But investigators quickly determined Tuesday that there was no sign of a political motive. Herdecke is a town of about 23,000 people in western Germany&rsquo;s Ruhr region, between Hagen and Dortmund.

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German investigators say newly elected Herdecke mayor Iris Stalzer was stabbed by her teenage daughter in a domestic dispute. Stalzer, now out of danger, was initially thought to be attacked during a robbery attempt

Daughter suspected in attack on newly elected mayor in Germany

BERLIN: The newly elected mayor of a town in western Germany was found with life-threatening wounds on Tuesday, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz said she was the victim of &ldquo;an abhorrent act.&rdquo; Iris Stalzer was elected as mayor of Herdecke on Sept. 28. She is a member of the center-left Social Democrats, the junior party in Germany&rsquo;s conservative-led national government. Stalzer was found at her home with life-threatening wounds shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, police and prosecutors said in a statement. She was taken to a hospital by helicopter. They didn&rsquo;t comment on the nature of the wounds, but the leader of the Social Democrats&rsquo; parliamentary group in Berlin, Matthias Miersch, told reporters that &ldquo;we heard a few minutes ago that newly elected Mayor Iris Stalzer was stabbed in Herdecke.&rdquo; Merz wrote on social media that &ldquo;we fear for the life of Mayor-elect Iris Stalzer and hope for her full recovery.&rdquo; The statement from investigators said that they are &ldquo;investigating in all directions&rdquo; and that &ldquo;a family background also cannot be ruled out at present.&rdquo; Stalzer, who beat a candidate from Merz&#39;s center-right Christian Democrats in a runoff vote to win election, is due to take office on Nov. 1. Herdecke is a town of about 23,000 people in western Germany&#39;s Ruhr region, between the cities of Hagen and Dortmund. Stalzer&#39;s website says she is 57 and married with two teenage children. It says she has spent almost her whole life in Herdecke and has worked as a lawyer specializing in labor law.

Newly elected Herdecke mayor Iris Stalzer was found with life-threatening stab wounds at her home in western Germany. Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the attack as “abhorrent,” as police investigate possible motives, including family involvement

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Daughter suspected in attack on newly elected mayor in Germany

Newly elected mayor in Germany found with serious stab wounds