German opposition party leader was attacked, medical exam suggests

AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla was injected with an unknown substance during a political rally, the party has said, citing a medical evaluation

A medical examination of Tino Chrupalla, the co-chair of the right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD), has confirmed the politician was attacked with a syringe, the party said in a statement on Friday.

Citing a letter from the Ingolstadt Clinic, the party said the politician sustained a syringe puncture on his “right upper arm.” The medical examination also indicated the politician was injected intramuscularly with a “yet unknown substance.”

“Forensic toxicology analysis is ongoing,” the party added.

The incident occurred at a campaign event in Ingolstadt on Wednesday, when the politician collapsed after taking selfies with the participants of the rally. The AfD immediately alleged Chrupalla had been assaulted during the event. The politician ended up in the intensive care unit of Ingolstadt hospital.

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Shortly after the alleged attack, sources confirmed it to RT.de, claiming the party’s co-chair suffered anaphylactic shock, apparently caused by the substance from the syringe. A party spokesperson further elaborated on the matter on Thursday, stating that Chrupalla had sustained a “puncture wound” and was being tested for “substances in his body.”

That account of events, however, has been disputed by German authorities, who stated on Thursday that there was “no evidence” of an attack on Chrupalla.

“At this time, there is no evidence that Mr. Chrupalla was tackled or attacked,” the Ingolstadt public prosecutor’s office and police said in a joint statement.

Chrupalla’s personal security detail did not witness any physical assault on the politician, authorities claimed. Local media reports also said no needles or similar objects were recovered from the scene by police except for two push-pins.