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.

Europe

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

MUNICH: The 190th Oktoberfest came to a close Sunday, wrapping up the world&rsquo;s largest folk festival with the traditional Bavarian marksmen&rsquo;s gun salute in Munich. Roughly 6.5 million visitors attended between Sept. 20 and Sunday, German news agency dpa reported, including Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Austrian-born former governor of California spontaneously conducted a live music band and the singing crowd in a beer tent on Sept. 26. Schwarzenegger, dressed in a traditional Bavarian-style leather jacket, a buttoned-down shirt and jeans, was accompanied by his partner, Heather Milligan, and his son, Christopher. The fairgrounds were closed for hours Wednesday as police searched the area due to a bomb threat linked to an explosion across town. During the initial investigation, a letter written by the suspect and found near the crime scene contained a &ldquo;non-specific&rdquo; threat of explosives related to Oktoberfest, Bavaria police previously said. Wednesday&#39;s images showed police in fluorescent vests patrolling nearly barren pavements near roller coasters and other rides and attractions. Revelers returned to the fairgrounds Wednesday evening after it was deemed safe. Decades ago, Oktoberfest was the target of a deadly neo-Nazi attack. A bombing on Sept. 26, 1980, claimed 12 lives, including three children, plus the attacker, student Gundolf Koehler, a supporter of a banned far-right group. More than 200 people were wounded.

Munich’s 190th Oktoberfest ended Sunday with a traditional gun salute after welcoming 6.5 million visitors, including Arnold Schwarzenegger. The event faced a midweek bomb threat but concluded safely, recalling memories of the deadly 1980 neo-Nazi attack.

Oktoberfest ends Sunday with the traditional Bavarian salute

FRANKFURT: Flights resumed &quot;progressively&quot; on Saturday at Munich airport, but delays were expected after a drone scare caused a second shutdown in as many days, affecting over 6,500 passengers, the operator said. Airports in Denmark, Norway and Poland have recently suspended flights due to unidentified drones, while Romania and Estonia have pointed the finger at Russia, which has brushed off the allegations. Munich airport said that on Friday &quot;from 9:30 pm air traffic was restricted and then cancelled due to drone sightings&quot;, meaning 23 incoming flights were diverted and 12 bound for Munich were cancelled. Forty-six departures from the airport had to be cancelled or delayed until Saturday, with a total of 6,500 passengers affected. Traffic resumed at 7:00 am Saturday (0500 GMT) but with delays, and of the 1,000 departures or arrivals scheduled, some 170 were canceled for &quot;operational reasons&quot;, the airport said. The disruptions came as the country celebrated German Unity Day on Friday -- a national holiday -- and as Munich geared up for the final weekend of Oktoberfest, which draws hundreds of thousands of people the city every day. A police spokesman told AFP that there were &quot;two simultaneous confirmed drone sightings by police patrols just before 11:00 pm around the north and south runways&quot;. &quot;The drones immediately moved away, before they could be identified,&quot; he added. The airport said that it and affected airlines provided stranded passengers with camp beds in the terminals, along with blankets, drinks and snacks. An AFP journalist who had a delayed connecting flight through Munich saw dozens of people lying and waiting on the camp beds in corridors, some of them families with children. They appeared to be waiting quietly. The first disruption due to drone sightings, on Thursday, had caused more than 30 flights to be cancelled there and left nearly 3,000 passengers stranded. Police said drones were spotted throughout that day in areas close to the airport, including the towns of Freising and Erding. Erding plays host to an airfield used by the German military. Bild newspaper said some of the drones were spotted flying over the facility, although police could not confirm this. The sightings caused the closure of both runways. Police helicopters were deployed but authorities said they had no information about the type or number of drones involved. High alertEarly on Friday German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the first night&#39;s incident was a &quot;wake-up call&quot; on the threat from drones. &quot;The race between the threat from drones and the defence against drones is becoming more and more difficult,&quot; he told Bild, adding that &quot;more financing and research&quot; on the issue was urgently needed at the national and European levels. German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) CEO Marie-Christine von Hahn said the incident proved the need to develop an anti-drone defence system as quickly as possible. &quot;We now need to act quickly, together with politics, industry and security authorities,&quot; she said, adding that &quot;We as an industry are ready to do our part in this security partnership&quot;. The German government is expected on Wednesday to sign off on plans for a change in the law to let the army shoot drones down if necessary. The Bavarian interior ministry has requested surveillance support from the German army, a military spokeswoman told DLF radio station. The drone sightings in Denmark and high-profile aerial incursions in Estonia and Poland have heightened fears that Russia&#39;s assault on Ukraine could spill over Europe&#39;s borders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Europe on Thursday that the recent drone incursions showed Moscow was looking to &quot;escalate&quot; its aggression. Germany is on high alert, saying a swarm of drones had flown over the country last week, including over military and industrial sites. Denmark also raised the alarm, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterating last week that only one country &quot;poses a threat to Europe&#39;s security -- and that&#39;s Russia&quot;. Moscow said it &quot;firmly rejects&quot; any suggestion of involvement, with Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing Europe of stoking &quot;hysteria&quot; to justify rising military spending.

Munich airport resumed flights after a second drone scare in two days disrupted over 6,500 passengers. Authorities suspect potential security threats amid rising European drone incursions, with Germany pushing for stronger anti-drone defenses and legal reforms.

Flights resume at Munich airport after second drone scare

BERLIN: German authorities on Thursday remanded into custody three alleged members of Hamas on suspicion of plotting attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany. The suspects appeared before an investigating judge in the western city of Karlsruhe, where formal arrest warrants were issued, Ines Peterson, a spokesperson for the federal prosecutors&#39; office, said. They were set to be transferred to a detention facility ahead of trial, which is likely to take months as the investigation continues. Germany&rsquo;s federal prosecutor announced Wednesday that the suspects were arrested on suspicion of being involved in procuring firearms since earlier this summer. Various weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, and ammunition were found during a raid. Two of the suspects are German citizens. The federal prosecutor&rsquo;s office described the third as being born in Lebanon. They were only named as Abed Al G., Wael F. M., and Ahmad I., in line with German privacy rules. Hamas said in a statement Wednesday that it has no connection to the suspects, calling the allegations of a link to the group baseless and aimed at &ldquo;undermining the German people&rsquo;s sympathy with our Palestinian people and their legitimate struggle against the Zionist occupation.&rdquo; Hamas also said it has always confined its armed struggle to Israel and the Palestinian territories and would continue to do so. It has carried out hundreds of attacks against Israeli civilians, but has rarely operated outside Israel and the Palestinian territories.

A German Armed Forces CH53 helicopter with a suspect on board

Three men suspected of ties to Hamas were remanded in Germany over an alleged plot to attack Jewish targets. Authorities found weapons during a raid, but Hamas denied links, calling the accusations politically motivated.

Germany detains 3 alleged Hamas members over suspected plot on Jewish institutions

BERLIN: The Danish defense ministry said on Saturday that drones were seen at several military sites from Friday night to Saturday. Earlier this week, similar sightings in Denmark briefly closed airports and raised security concerns. Several local media reported that one or more drones were seen near or above the military Karup Air Base, which is Denmark&rsquo;s biggest military base.&nbsp;The defense ministry refused to confirm the sighting at Karup or elsewhere and said that &ldquo;for reasons of operational security and the ongoing investigation, the Defense Command Denmark does not wish to elaborate further on drone sightings.&rdquo;&nbsp;The ministry clarified later to public broadcaster DR that reports of additional drone activity at Skrydstrup Air Base and the Jutland Dragoon Regiment referred to sightings that did not occur overnight from Friday to Saturday. Its earlier statement seemed to imply that timing and was widely reported.&nbsp;The ministry could not be reached immediately for confirmation, but a press release on its website referring to the incidents at the base and barracks was dated Thursday, though it did not directly confirm the sightings took place that day.&nbsp;Anxiety and suspicion across DenmarkTensions have been running high in Denmark in recent days after various drone activity, and hundreds of possible sightings reported by concerned citizens could not officially be confirmed. Nonetheless, the public has been asked to report all suspicious activity to police.&nbsp;On Saturday, DR and several other local media reported that in Karup, there were drones in the air both inside and outside the fence of the air base at around 8 pm Friday, quoting Simon Skelkj&aelig;r, the duty manager at the Central and West Jutland Police.&nbsp;DR said that for a period of time the airspace was closed to civil air traffic, but that did not have much practical significance as there is currently no civil aviation in Karup.&nbsp;The repeated unexplained drone activity, including over four Danish airports overnight Wednesday into Thursday and a similar incident at Copenhagen Airport, has raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid suspected growing Russian aggression. The goal of the flyovers is to sow fear and division, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said Thursday, adding that the country will seek additional ways to neutralize drones, including proposing legislation to allow infrastructure owners to shoot them down.&nbsp;For the upcoming European Union summit next week, the Danish defense ministry confirmed on X that the country&#39;s government had accepted an offer from Sweden to &ldquo;lend Denmark a military anti-drone capability,&rdquo; without giving further details.&nbsp;Drones also spotted in northern GermanyIn neighboring Germany, several drones were reported in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which borders Denmark, from Thursday into Friday night.&nbsp;The state&#39;s interior minister, Sabine S&uuml;tterlin-Waack, said that &ldquo;the state police are currently significantly stepping up their drone defense measures, also in coordination with other northern German states,&rdquo; German news agency dpa reported. She did not provide any further details, citing the ongoing investigations.&nbsp;German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters on Saturday afternoon that his ministry is working on new anti-drone rules that aim to detect, intercept and if needed also shoot down drones.&nbsp;NATO conferences discusses &lsquo;escalatory&rsquo; and &lsquo;reckless&rsquo; airspace violationsLater on Saturday, Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the chair of NATO&rsquo;s Military Committee, said at a NATO meeting in Riga, Latvia, that &ldquo;multiple allies, including Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Romania have experienced airspace violation by Russia. These acts are escalatory, reckless and endanger lives.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Russia bears full responsibility for these actions,&rdquo; Dragone said. &ldquo;Today, I express full and unequivocal solidarity with all allies whose airspace has been breached. The alliance&rsquo;s response has been robust and will only continue to strengthen,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;&ldquo;The immediate priority today is clearly air defense,&rdquo; the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, said. &ldquo;Russia continues a pattern of provocations, most recently recklessly violating the airspace of Poland and Estonia. And here I really want to thank and welcome NATO&rsquo;s immediate response commencing Eastern Sentry,&quot; he said in reference to the operation to protect NATO&#39;s eastern flank.&nbsp;&ldquo;This serves as a tangible example of NATO&rsquo;s decisive response.&rdquo;

Denmark reported renewed drone sightings over military bases, fueling security fears after earlier incidents shut airports. Similar activity was reported in Germany, while NATO condemned Russian airspace violations as reckless provocations.

Danish defense ministry reports renewed drone sightings at military facilities

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The United States on Thursday announced the approval of a $1.23 billion sale of up to 400 advanced air-to-air missiles and related equipment to NATO ally Germany, AFP reported. &ldquo;The proposed sale will improve Germany&#39;s capability to meet current and future threats by providing increased air-to-air capability for the German F-35 program and supporting German and shared NATO planning, training, and operational requirements,&quot; the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement. The US State Department has approved the potential sale of AIM-120D-3 advanced medium range air-to-air missiles to Germany for an estimated $1.23 billion, the Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday, according to Reuters. The principal contractor for the sale is RTX Corp, the Pentagon said. Security of a NATO ally&nbsp;It will also &quot;support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,&quot; DSCA said, according to AFP. The State Department approved the possible sale of the missiles to Germany and DSCA provided the required notification to the US Congress, which still needs to sign off on the transaction. The US announcement came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to take &quot;all necessary measures to ensure effective deterrence against... violations of airspace and other attacks by the Russian military.&quot; Airspace violations&nbsp;Recent weeks have seen Russia send fighter jets and drones into the airspace of NATO members Poland and Romania, followed by suspicious drone flights near airports in Denmark and Norway. Merz&#39;s government has also blamed Moscow for multiple drone sightings over German military and industrial sites.

Americas

The US approved a $1.23 billion sale of 400 advanced air-to-air missiles to Germany, enhancing its F-35 program and NATO defense. The deal supports US foreign policy amid rising Russian threats.

US approves $1.2 billion missile sale to Germany

BERLIN: Former Germany defender Jerome Boateng, who won the World Cup in 2014, formally announced his retirement from the game on Friday.The 37-year-old center-back uploaded a minute-long clip to his social media channels on Friday, bidding farewell to the game.&quot;I played for a long time, for big clubs, for my country. I learned, won, lost, and grew through it all,&quot; Boateng said in a clip uploaded to Instagram, which included highlights from his career.<div class="fr-embed" style="line-height: 2;"><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOyxDAUjJlo/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=540&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com&rp=%2Farticles%2Fnew#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A2957380.899999991%2C%22ls%22%3A2945.2999999970198%2C%22le%22%3A6647.79999999702%7D" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="635" scrolling="no" style="background: white; max-width: 540px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;"></iframe></div>&quot;Football has given me a lot, now it&#39;s time to move on. Not because I have to, but because I&#39;m ready.&quot;I&#39;m grateful to the teams, the fans, the people who supported me. And above all, my family, my children. They&#39;ve always been there for me.&quot;The defender played 76 times for Germany, scoring once.Champions League titles&nbsp;Boateng won two Champions League titles with Bayern Munich, in 2013 and 2020, as well as nine Bundesliga crowns.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1969129662572818826&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=a94bf96b27611c24d7561a24a9dce419698efef6&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-twitter-extracted-i1758315993374891586="true">German Champion, Cup and Champions League winner, World Champion: J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Boateng has announced his retirement in a glittering career. Thank you for your time at FC Bayern! 🔴⚪️ <a href="https://t.co/Dov8vNT0en">pic.twitter.com/Dov8vNT0en</a>&mdash; FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBayernEN/status/1969129662572818826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2025</a></blockquote></div>Born in Berlin, Boateng came through the Hertha Berlin academy alongside his half-brother Kevin-Prince, who is one year his senior.After brief spells at Hamburg and Manchester City, Jerome Boateng moved to Bayern.Since leaving Bayern in 2021, Boateng bounced around clubs in several countries, playing for Lyon in France, Salernitana in Italy and LASK in Austria.He terminated his contract with LASK in mid-August.

Football

Jerome Boateng, 2014 World Cup winner and former Germany defender, announced his retirement at 37. He won two Champions League titles with Bayern Munich and played 76 times for Germany.

Articles tagged with "Germany"