German police officer dies after being stabbed in livestreamed knife attack in Mannheim square

A German police officer has died after being stabbed in a knife attack that left five other people injured in the city of Mannheim, officials said on Sunday.

The officer, 29, was stabbed several times in the head and neck in the attack on Friday, which happened in the central square of the southwest German city and was livestreamed on YouTube.

He underwent emergency surgery, officials said, and was placed in an artificial coma but died on Sunday.

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 him, removing their hats during a gathering on Sunday at the site of the attack.

The suspect - a 25-year-old Afghan migrant - was shot and wounded by another officer.

The suspect remained in hospital on Sunday, and a judge had 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 horror unfolded during an event held by political group Buergerbewegung Pax Europa (BPE), which holds anti-Islam views.

The group which describes itself as an organisation that informs people about the dangers posed by the "increasing spread and influence of political Islam".

Michael Sturzenberger, 59, an activist who is one of the group's leading figures and has spoken at its events, was among those wounded.

The other victims were four men aged 25, 36, 42 and 54. The 54-year-old man suffered injuries that were initially life-threatening, but was later declared to be out of danger.

Mannheim lies on the river Rhine, around 50 miles south of Frankfurt.