A newly-elected mayor in Germany is fighting for her life after a stabbing attack outside her home. Iris Stalzer, 57, was elected as mayor of Herdecke on September 28th. “She is a member of the center-left Social Democrats, the junior party in Germany’s conservative-led national government,” the Associated Press noted. Stalzer was found with life-threatening injuries and airlifted to a hospital. Police took her teenage adopted son and daughter away for questioning. BREAKING: Mayor of Herdecke in western Germany, Iris Stalzer is in critical condition after being stabbed by several men in a broad daylight attack outside her home pic.twitter.com/if0DRVPI30 — Megatron (@Megatron_ron) October 7, 2025 Daily Mail shared further details: She was discovered inside her apartment by her 15-year-old adopted son, according to German outlet Bild, with life-threatening injuries and several stabbing wounds on her stomach and back. Police have reportedly arrested the boy, who told officers that his mother was attacked outside their home by ‘several men on the street’, the outlet said. It added that he was taken away from the scene in handcuffs for questioning, wearing an evidence-preserving overall. The teenager reportedly called 911 alongside his 17-year-old adopted sister at 12.40pm, who was present in the apartment when authorities arrived, the newspaper said. She was also questioned in the hours following the attack, according to Der Spiegel, which reported that she had been involved in a previous case of domestic violence in the Stalzer household in the summer of this year. The politician’s daughter had used a knife against the 57-year-old, the report said. Stalzer was taken to hospital by helicopter where she is receiving emergency treatment and is said to be in critical condition. Prosecutors and police said in a joint statement their inquiry was looking into every possibility and said: ‘Close family involvement cannot be ruled out at the present time.’ Stalzer won a runoff vote to secure the election and is scheduled to take office in the small town on November 1st. “We have received a message about an abominable act from Herdecke. It must now be swiftly clarified. We are anxious about the life of the designated mayor Iris Stalzer and hope for her complete recovery. My thoughts are with her family and her relatives,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz commented (translated). Uns erreicht eine Nachricht über eine abscheuliche Tat aus Herdecke. Sie muss jetzt schnell aufgeklärt werden. Wir bangen um das Leben der designierten Bürgermeisterin Iris Stalzer und hoffen auf vollständige Genesung. Meine Gedanken sind bei ihrer Familie und ihren Angehörigen. — Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) October 7, 2025 More from CNN: The city administration in Herdecke said it was in “shock and disbelief,” without providing further details of the attack, which was reported by German tabloid Bild and local public broadcaster WDR. Authorities have not confirmed a motive. In a later update, police said the investigation is “looking into all possibilities,” and that a family connection to the crime has not been ruled out. There has been a string of attacks on German politicians in recent years. The country was rocked by the 2019 murder of Walter Lübcke, a local government official who supported the pro-refugee policies of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. Lübcke was shot dead by a neo-Nazi while smoking a cigarette on the terrace of his house. His attacker is now serving a life sentence. Additional coverage below: