A large-scale manhunt is underway after a newly elected mayor of a town in the western-central part of Germany was found critically injured in her apartment on Tuesday.

Iris Stalzer, who a mere weeks ago became the mayor of Herdecke in North Rhine-Westphalia and is a center-left Social Democrat, sustained multiple stab wounds and is reported to be fighting for her life after being airlifted to the hospital.

Emergency responders discovered her alive but in a life-threatening condition, after one or more attackers tried to kill her, after which she was still conscious enough to crawl inside of her home. German sources report she was "attacked in front of her residence around midday and managed to drag herself inside before collapsing."

Within hours after the attack, there is still no suspect or known motive for the attack, which could be deemed an assassination attempt of an elected official. It's also unclear if there was a political motive.

A 'gang of men' has been mentioned as behind the attack, according to further emerging details of the brutal crime:

Iris Stalzer, 57, a member of the centre-Left Social Democrats party, was found by her son in her apartment with multiple stab wounds. She told him she had been attacked by a group of men, German tabloid Bild reported.

...The attack, which, according to German media, is being investigated as an attempted murder, took place around lunchtime on Tuesday.

Ms Stalzer managed to get back inside her home, where she lives with her adopted son, 15, and her daughter, 17, after being repeatedly stabbed.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed shock and condemned the assault. "We have received news of a heinous act from Herdecke. It must now be quickly clarified. We fear for the life of the designated mayor, Iris Stalzer, and hope for her full recovery," Merz wrote on X. "My thoughts are with her family and loved ones."

SPD parliamentary group leader in Berlin, Matthias Miersch, issued a statement saying he hopes she will "survive the terrible act" - but offered no further details in terms of circumstances or possible motive.

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