German politician stabbed in attack tied to migrant crisis

A leading candidate in Cologne's mayoral race has been stabbed in the neck by a man claiming to be angry over the country's refugee policies.
Henriette Reker - an independent candidate supported by Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party - was seriously injured along with an aide. Three others suffered minor injuries. Local police said Ms Reker, 58, was "stable, but not out of the woods". Police have arrested a 44-year-old German national and Cologne resident. The attacker told police he stabbed Ms Reker "because of anti-foreigner motives," senior police investigator Norbert Wagner said. The suspect appeared to have acted alone and had no police record, Mr Wagner added. Ralf Jager, a regional interior minister, said: "The first signs speak for a politically motivated act."





