Polish Mayor in “Critical Condition” after Knife Attack
The mayor of a major city in Poland is fighting for his life after being stabbed by a knife-wielding assailant on Sunday night.
According to media reports, Pawel Adamowicz – who has served as the mayor of Gdansk since 1998 – was repeatedly stabbed in the abdomen at the “Lights to Heaven” fundraiser organised by Poland’s Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.
Adamowicz was immediately transported to Gdansk’s university hospital, where he underwent a five-hour surgical operation. He is currently in a “very, very critical condition”, according to surgeon Tomasz Stefaniak.
Meanwhile, the suspect – identified as a 27-year-old local man with a criminal record – was promptly arrested at the scene.
Mariusz Ciarka, a police spokesman, said that the suspect gained access to the stage area with a media badge.
Video footage of the attack posted online shows the suspect taking a microphone and claiming that he had been wrongly jailed by the previous centrist government of the Civic Platform (PO) and tortured, hence why he attacked Adamowicz.
