Tino Chrupalla, a member of the German parliament and co-chairman of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), was rushed to intensive care after being reportedly “stabbed with a syringe” at a political event in Ingolstadt on Wednesday afternoon.
Chrupalla – who only last week was “debanked” – was taken to hospital after he reportedly went into an anaphylactic shock just moments before he was due to give a speech.
It is believed upon feeling sick, Chrupalla pointed to two men in the crowd who were subsequently arrested, though many details of the attack remain unclear. The Bavarian police have opened an investigation into the incident.
The attack comes just hours after the AfD’s other co-chairman, Alice Weidel, was forced into hiding with her family after authorities found credible evidence of a planned assassination attempt on her life. Weidel was due to give a speech at an AfD event celebrating the German Day of Unity on Tuesday and instead spoke via a video message.
There have been a number of attacks on AfD politicians in recent months, with the Bavarian-based party member Andrea Jurca receiving two black eyes and being forced to walk on crutches after a random attack in August. The party’s deputy leader, Beatrix von Storch, was similarly attacked after she was smeared with dog faeces while giving a talk last month.
Meanwhile, the German establishment’s anti-AfD rhetoric is becoming increasingly inflammatory, with multiple senior politicians and lawmakers attempting to ban the party.
