Co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Tino Chrupalla was rushed to hospital ahead of an election campaign event in Ingolstadt on Wednesday afternoon with a party spokesperson saying he had been involved in a “physical incident.” According to news outlet Junge Freiheit, he may have been the victim of a syringe attack.
Most details surrounding the incident have not yet been disclosed, but footage circulating on social media showed Chrupalla being escorted to an ambulance with flashing blue lights, which transported him to a nearby hospital.
Hier wird #Chrupalla mit dem Krankenwagen ins Krankenhaus gebracht nachdem er augenscheinlich zusammen gebrochen ist. Quelle: Steven Hellmuth https://t.co/JCUzBCIgGE pic.twitter.com/LiYavYFH5O
— Junge Freiheit (@Junge_Freiheit) October 4, 2023“At around 4:30 p.m., before his speech began, Bundestag member Tino Chrupalla had to receive medical care backstage. The politician was then taken to hospital, although no obvious injuries were apparent at the time,” a police statement read.
“In order to clarify the details of this medical incident, further investigations were carried out by the Ingolstadt Criminal Investigation Department,” it added, urging those in the vicinity who may have taken photos or videos of the incident to contact the authorities.
An AfD party spokesperson spoke of a “physical incident against our party’s federal spokesman, Tino Chrupalla. He was therefore taken to a hospital, where his health condition is currently being clarified.”
German news outlet Junge Freiheit reported that it had been informed by eyewitnesses “that a syringe could have been used” against the politician, although this has not been corroborated by the authorities.
Two other speakers, Katrin Ebner-Steiner, the AfD’s leading candidate for Sunday’s state election in Bavaria, and Austrian journalist Gerald Grosz, also confirmed to Junge Freiheit that a syringe had been found by police.
Grosz reportedly told the news outlet that Chrupalla became sick and “pointed to two young men” who are understood to have been arrested.
The Austrian journalist later posted on X: “I am downright horrified at the methods and violence being used against the AfD and its representatives. Tino Chrupalla was attacked and injured at a joint event today. He was taken to hospital. Now the seeds of Steinmeier, Merkel, and Söder are sprouting! A shame for Germany!”
The police confirmed that a live operation was still ongoing but did not disclose any further details surrounding the potential attack.
[pp id=94479]
The incident comes a day after the AfD’s other co-leader Alice Weidel revealed she and her family had been taken to a safe house after security services learned of a credible planned attack.
The right-wing politician has refrained from making public appearances following the recent attack threat and was notably absent from her party’s rally in Mödlareuth on Tuesday, where she was expected to be the keynote speaker to mark German Unity Day, a national holiday in the country to commemorate German reunification in 1990.
