German police say the AfD party chairman in Bremen was knocked down with a “lightning-quick” blow in a suspected “politically motivated” attack that left Frank Magnitz unconscious and with a “bone-deep laceration” to his forehead.

The account of events surrounding the attack on the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Bremen on Monday night still remains murky, because the victim of the assault was left senseless in the ambush. Magnitz told RT that he has never seen his attackers, who crept up on him from behind just as he passed two construction workers after leaving a New Year’s reception near Bremen's Goetheplatz.

“One of the laborers said three individuals had been walking behind me for some time. He said they were conspicuous because they were wearing hoodies, with the hoods covering their faces. I didn’t see them,” the 66-year-old member of the Bundestag added.

Police are now searching for the trio involved in the assault. After reviewing CCTV footage from the crime scene, investigators believe that Magnitz was struck from behind by only one member of the gang, which had followed their victim as he was walking to retrieve his car.

The public prosecutor's office in Bremen said that surveillance evidence showed Magnitz being struck down with a single, “lightning quick” elbow blow to his head before the pack ran away. “We assume that all of the injuries are solely due to the fall,” Frank Passade, spokesman for the Bremen public prosecutor's office noted Wednesday, claiming that the footage showed “no kicks on a person lying on the ground.”

The police version of the incident contradicts AfD's initial claims that the politician was beaten with a wooden stick and repeatedly kicked on the ground in an “assassination attempt.” The party explained their initial version of the incident was based on the information it was able to gather from one of the construction workers who witnessed the crime.

Magnitz was released from the hospital on Wednesday after suffering a “bone-deep laceration” to his forehead and injuries to his left knee. In an interview with RT, the politician stopped short of pinning the blame on any particular group, as he could not exclude the possibility that the assault against him could have been a failed robbery attempt. Authorities are still investigating the incident as a politically motivated assault.

Like this story? Share it with a friend! </s> Frank Magnitz, a member of the Bundestag from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), had said that he was brutally attacked by political opponents in his home base of Bremen. However, prosecutors said on Wednesday that footage of the attack casts doubt on the lawmaker's version of events.

According to AfD politicians, Magnitz, 66, he was attacked from behind with a piece of wood around 5:30 p.m. while taking a shortcut behind the Bremen City Theater to his car in a nearby parking garage. He said he was kicked after he had fallen down, and then blacked out.

Read more: Opinion: A plea for calm after AfD's Frank Magnitz attacked

Frank Passade, a spokesman with the Bremen prosecutor's office, said the video shows that Magnitz was attacked by three people, but he added that it looks likely that most of Magnitz's injuries were sustained as he hit the ground.

Magnitz checked himself out of the hospital on Wednesday and is recovering well, according to fellow Bremen AfD member Thomas Jürgewitz.

On Tuesday, the lawmaker spent most of the day talking to the press, inviting journalists to his sick bed to see the wounds on his face, covered with thick layers of gauze, and drawing their attention to the wheelchair he was using in hospital.

Frank Magnitz addresses the Bundestag

The attack drew condemnation across Germany, with Foreign Minister Heiko Maas saying that violence "should never be a means of expressing political disagreements," and Steffen Seibert, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, expressing the hope that the assailants would quickly be found and face justice.

Magnitz's AfD colleagues have used the incident as a call to action, blaming the far-left Antifa group, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), and "left-wing terrorists," for the parliamentarian's wounds.

CCTV may contradict Magnitz

On Wednesday, however, prosecutors in Bremen questioned whether Magnitz was assaulted in exactly the manner he described. A spokesman told German news agency DPA that CCTV footage of the attack showed Magnitz being elbowed once, then falling over as his attackers ran away.

Bremen police have said that the attack was "lightning quick," and that they were investigating charges of grievous bodily harm, saying they had no photographic evidence that Magnitz was kicked while already down.

Magnitz himself on Wednesday conceded that the attack may not have been politically motivated and may in fact have been an attempted robbery. </s> German MP was seriously injured in a “politically motivated” gang attack in the north of the country, police said Tuesday.

 Frank Magnitz, leader in Bremen of the anti-immigration populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), was assaulted in the city centre on Monday afternoon. “Given the victim´s work, we believe that this is a politically motivated act,” police said.—AFP </s> BERLIN (Reuters) - Prosecutors on Wednesday refuted an account of an assault against a lawmaker for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that sparked public outrage, saying video images showed he was not attacked with wooden bars as initially claimed.

The party acknowledged that initial reports of the incident appeared to be mistaken.

Frank Magnitz, who was released from hospital in the northern city of Bremen on Wednesday, told the newspaper Die Welt that Monday’s attack was likely carried out by extremist leftists and constituted an assassination attempt.

The AfD had posted a picture on Twitter supposedly showing Magnitz on a stretcher with a deep wound to his forehead and a bruised left eye, and it said the attack was carried out by three individuals.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Bremen prosecutor’s office said video images showed that one of three unidentified men had jumped on Magnitz from behind - causing him to fall to the ground - before running away.

“We believe that all the injuries resulted from the fall,” the spokesman Frank Passade told German broadcaster ARD. He said there was no evidence that Magnitz had been attacked with a wooden bar or that he was kicked in the head.

An AfD spokesman told the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper chain that the party would have written a different news release based on its current information. He said the claim that wooden bars were used to attack Magnitz came from a construction worker on the scene who had not been heard from since.

Politicians from across the political spectrum had condemned the attack and urged police to bring those responsible to justice.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident and described it as a politically motivated attack. </s> Frank Magnitz, a member of the Bundestag from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), has said that he was brutally attacked by political opponents in his home base of Bremen. However, prosecutors said on Wednesday that footage of the attack casts doubt on the lawmaker's version of events.

According to Magnitz, 66, he was savagely attacked from behind with a piece of wood around 5:30 p.m. while taking a shortcut behind the Bremen City Theater to his car in a nearby parking garage. He said he was kicked after he had fallen down, and then blacked out.

Read more: Opinion: A plea for calm after AfD's Frank Magnitz attacked

On Tuesday, the lawmaker spent most of the day talking to the press, inviting journalists to his sick bed to see the wounds on his face, covered with thick layers of gauze, and draw their attention to the wheelchair he was using in hospital.

The attack drew condemnation across Germany, with Foreign Minister Heiko Maas saying that violence "should never be a means of expressing political disagreements," and Steffen Seibert, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, expressing the hope that the assailants would quickly be found and face justice.

Magnitz's AfD colleagues have used the incident as a call to action, blaming the far-left Antifa group, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), and "left-wing terrorists," for the parliamentarian's wounds.

On Wednesday, however, prosecutors in Bremen questioned whether Magnitz was assaulted in exactly the manner he described. A spokesman told Germans news agency DPA that CCTV footage of the attack showed Magnitz being elbowed once, then falling over as his attackers ran away.

Bremen police have said that the attack was "lightning quick," and that they were investigating charges of grievously bodily harm, saying they had no photographic evidence that Magnitz was kicked while already down.

Magnitz himself said on Wednesday that the attack may not have been politically motivated and may in fact have been an attempted robbery. </s> BERLIN : A far-right German MP was seriously injured in a "politically motivated" gang attack in the north of the country, the police said yesterday.

Mr Frank Magnitz, leader in Bremen of the anti-immigration populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), was assaulted in the city centre on Monday afternoon.

"Given the victim's work, we believe this is a politically motivated act," the police said.

AfD published a photo of Mr Magnitz unconscious on a hospital bed, his face bleeding and swollen with a gash on his forehead. It said three masked men had carried out the attack.

"They hit him with a piece of wood until he was unconscious and then kicked him on the ground," a statement from the party said, adding that a construction worker had intervened to stop the assault.

"Today is a dark day for democracy in Germany."

AfD leader Joerg Meuthen tweeted that Mr Magnitz was "beaten almost to death" in a "cowardly and sickening" attack.

Mr Johannes Kahrs, an MP from the Social Democrats, junior partners in the ruling coalition, said "violence is never acceptable" and "extremism in any form is rubbish". He wished Mr Magnitz a quick recovery.

Mr Cem Ozdemir of the opposition Greens party said he hoped those responsible could be "found and convicted soon" and that, even against a far-right party, "nothing justifies violence".

"Those who fight hate with hate only allow hate to win in the end," said the politician of Turkish origin.

Last week, an explosive device detonated in a rubbish bin damaged an AfD office in Saxony. Three suspects were detained.

And last weekend in Lower Saxony, the home of a local AfD politician was targeted with graffiti and a party office was attacked with a paint bomb. </s> German prosecutors told BuzzFeed News CCTV footage showed no weapon was involved in the assault on Frank Magnitz, contrary to what the far-right Alternative for Germany party had claimed.

German prosecutors have called into question claims by the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) that a high-ranking politician was the victim of a politically motivated attack.

 Frank Magnitz was assaulted Monday night after leaving an art gallery in Bremen, the northern German city where he is the local head of the AfD. No arrests have been made, and Magnitz left the hospital Wednesday. The AfD released a gruesome image of the 66-year-old in the hospital that showed a deep gash in his forehead, claiming it was the result of him being knocked unconscious with a wooden board and then kicked while on the ground.

Writing on Twitter, Jörg Meuthen, the AfD’s federal chair, called the attack an “assassination attempt,” while the party’s national coleader, Alice Weidel, put out a statement that said Magnitz was the victim of a “cowardly and brutal assassination attempt.”

 But Bremen prosecutors said Wednesday that CCTV footage did not show any evidence that the assailants had used a weapon, nor that the attack continued after Magnitz was unconscious.

 Frank Passade, spokesperson for the Bremen prosecutor’s office, told BuzzFeed News that the footage was “very clear” and that the wound on Magnitz’s head likely occurred because his hands were in his pockets when he was attacked from behind, so he could not break his fall.

 Passade said the police had received no evidence that Magnitz’s attackers were politically motivated. Police had said in the aftermath of the attack they believed the assault was due to Magnitz’s political affiliations.

Speaking to Berliner Morgenpost on Tuesday, Magnitz said he believed the attack was an “assassination attempt,” and suggested a group named after an asylum-seeker who died in police custody was responsible. But he also said that, “although it is not very likely, it may also have been a robbery.”

 The local AfD office did not respond to a request for comment from BuzzFeed News, but the Bremen vice chair, Thomas Jürgewitz, told Berliner Morgenpost that with “current knowledge, we would formulate the communication [of the attack] a little differently, but it corresponded to the state of knowledge shortly after the fact.” Jürgewitz said that the witness who initially claimed a 2x4 piece of wood was used in the attack has since vanished. He also said the widespread condemnation of the attack from across the political spectrum was “very encouraging.” </s> A far-right German MP who was 'beaten almost to death' by three hooded men says the attack may not have been political - despite what police think.

Frank Magnitz, who leads the Bremen branch of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said the attack 'may have been a robbery'.

Magnitz also refused to blame 'the left' or 'Antifa' for the attack as he spoke to Germany's Bild newspaper from his hospital bed on Tuesday.

That is not the conclusion of the Bremen police, however, who are investigating the assault as a politically motivated incident.

In a brief interview with the newspaper, Magnitz explained the extent of his injuries - saying his entire left side hurts and his forehead has been split open to the bone by a vicious blow.

He said that doctors have prescribed him bed rest and are keeping him readily supplied with painkillers until his wounds heal.

Magnitz said he feels fine while recovering in hospital, but revealed he is uncertain about going out again in the dark.

'I will change my behavior in public and be more careful in the future,' he said.

The assault on Magnitz drew condemnation from across the German political spectrum, including from Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Party leader Joerg Meuthen said the 66-year-old was 'beaten almost to death' in a 'cowardly and sickening' attack.

Bremen police said they believe the attack was politically motivated and called for witnesses to the incident, which took place around 5.20pm on Monday near a theater in central Bremen.

Magnitz was beaten over the head with a not-officially-identified object, by at least three men wearing dark clothing and hoods or hats, who then fled, police said.

Two construction workers who were loading a car nearby found him lying on the ground and called an ambulance

'They hit him with a piece of wood until he was unconscious and then kicked him on the ground,' AfD said in a statement, adding that 'today is a dark day for democracy in Germany.'

The party said Magnitz was ambushed after he left a Bremen newspaper's new year's reception.

'It was clearly an attempt to murder Mr. Magnitz,' AfD co-leader Alexander Gauland told reporters in Berlin.

'This is the result of the ostracism and agitation AfD faces,' he said, suggesting other parties were partly responsible for the attack because they had compared AfD to Adolf Hitler's Nazi party.

Magnitz is associated with the extreme right of the party, including its firebrand leader in the eastern state of Thuringia, Bjoern Hoecke.

Magnitz told the dpa news agency he had been told he would need to remain hospitalized until the weekend and had little memory of the attack.

He added that while he had received threats, he hadn't considered any of them concrete.

Chancellor Angela Merkel led cross-party condemnations of the assault, as her spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote on Twitter that the 'brutal attack' was 'to be condemned sharply'.

'Hopefully the police will succeed in catching the perpetrators quickly,' he wrote.

AfD leader Joerg Meuthen tweeted that Magnitz was 'beaten almost to death' in a 'cowardly and sickening' attack.

Johannes Kahrs, an MP from the Social Democrats, junior partners in the ruling coalition, said 'violence is never acceptable' and that 'extremism in any form is rubbish'. He wished Magnitz a quick recovery.

Cem Ozdemir of the opposition Greens party said he hoped those responsible could be 'found and convicted soon' and that, even against a far-right party, 'nothing justifies violence'.

'Those who fight hate with hate only allow hate to win in the end,' said the politician of Turkish origin.

AfD is represented in all of Germany's 16 state parliaments. It entered the national parliament in 2017 and is currently the biggest opposition party there. It views the country's established political parties with contempt, and the feeling is mutual.

The party took 10 percent of the vote in Bremen in the 2017 national election, below its nationwide result of 12.6 percent.

Bremen is not considered an AfD stronghold, unlike three states in Germany's ex-communist east that hold regional votes in September and October.

The party claims there have been 'hundreds' of attacks against its officers and members since its founding in 2013.

Last week, an explosive device detonated in a rubbish bin damaged an AfD office in Saxony. Three suspects were detained.

And last weekend in Lower Saxony, the home of a local AfD politician was targeted with graffiti and a party office was attacked with a paint bomb. </s> BERLIN
• A far-right German MP was seriously injured in a "politically motivated" gang attack in the north of the country, police said yesterday.

Mr Frank Magnitz, leader in Bremen of the anti-immigration populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), was assaulted in the city centre on Monday afternoon.

"Given the victim's work, we believe that this is a politically motivated act," the police said.

The AfD party published a photograph of Mr Magnitz unconscious on a hospital bed, his face bleeding and swollen with a gash on his forehead.

It said three masked men had carried out the attack.

"They hit him with a piece of wood until he was unconscious and then kicked him on the ground," a statement from the party said, adding that a construction worker had intervened to stop the assault. "Today is a dark day for democracy in Germany."

AfD leader Joerg Meuthen tweeted that Mr Magnitz was "beaten almost to death" in a "cowardly and sickening" attack.

Mr Johannes Kahrs, an MP from the Social Democrats, junior partners in the ruling coalition, said that "violence is never acceptable" and that "extremism in any form is rubbish".

Mr Cem Ozdemir of the opposition Greens party said he hoped those responsible could be "found and convicted soon" and that "nothing justifies violence".

"Those who fight hate with hate only allow hate to win in the end," added the politician, who is of Turkish origin.

Last week, an explosive device detonated in a rubbish bin damaged an AfD office in Saxony. Three suspects were detained.

And last weekend in Lower Saxony, the home of a local AfD politician was targeted with graffiti while a party office was attacked with a paint bomb.

The AfD entered Germany's Parliament with almost 13 per cent of the vote in September 2017, making it the strongest opposition party in the Bundestag Lower House.

The party is expected to make gains in European elections in May and three regional polls in the former communist east later this year.
German prosecutors say, based on CCTV images, that most of AfD politician Frank Magnitz's injuries yesterday may have been sustained as he hit the ground after having been elbowed once by three people and falling over. Magnitz says the attack may have been an attempted robbery.