Reference News, October 8 report: According to Deutsche Welle, a newly elected mayor in western Germany was found injured at home, with life-threatening injuries.
The report said that sources in the security sector stated on October 7 that Iris Stärzel, from the center-left Social Democratic Party, had multiple stab wounds on her body.
A police spokesperson from the city of Hagen said that the police are currently conducting a large-scale investigation in the city of Heldrath, but did not disclose more details.
Last month, in the local elections in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, 57-year-old Stärzel won the mayoral runoff in Heldrath. She defeated the conservative opponent with 52.2% of the votes.
The report said that it is currently unclear whether the incident has political motives.
German Chancellor Merkel wrote on the social media platform X: "We have received news about an abhorrent crime in Heldrath. It is now essential to quickly uncover the truth. We are concerned for the life of the incoming mayor Iris Stärzel and hope she will fully recover."
Frederik Cordes, the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the state, said that the Social Democratic Party "is shocked by the news from Heldrath."
According to information on Stärzel's personal website, she is a lawyer, married, and has two teenagers. Heldrath is a city on the Ruhr River, with a population of 22,500. (Translated by Guo Jun)
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