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German local politician from Angela Merkel's party found dead German police investigate murder of CDU politician Walter Lübcke
(about 4 hours later)
A local politician from the German city of Kassel was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head, police said on Monday, adding that no weapon was found at the scene. A local politician from Angela Merkel’s party was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head, German police said on Monday.
“We are looking for a perpetrator,” said the chief prosecutor, Horst Streiff, after the death of the city administrative chief, Walter Lübcke, who was 65. With no weapon found at the scene and no discharge residues on the dead man’s body, investigators appear to have ruled out suicide and are investigating intentional homicide.
Streiff said there was no evidence pointing to suicide. “We are looking for a perpetrator,” said the chief prosecutor, Horst Streiff.
Lübcke, of German chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right CDU party, was found at about half past midnight local time on Sunday on the terrace of his home in Wolfhagen, near Kassel, in the central state of Hesse. He had been shot in the head at close range with a handgun, police said. Walter Lübcke, an administrative chief for the city of Kassel, in the central state of Hesse, was found at about half past midnight local time on Sunday on the terrace of his home. He had been shot in the head at close range with a handgun, police said.
His CDU party said in a statement that Lübcke, a married father of two, had “never been afraid to speak his mind”. The 65-year-old politician, who had celebrated his 10-year anniversary as administrative chief for the city only last month, left a wife and two adult sons.
The German tabloid Bild reported that in 2015, at the time of the migration crisis, Lübcke had spoken out in favour of the rights of refugees, drawing anger from far-right activists. The news magazine Der Spiegel described Lübcke as “a quiet man in the often heated state parliament of Wiesbaden, not a rabble-rouser in the front row”.
However, Sabine Thurau, Hesse state criminal police chief, said there was no evidence of a link between those comments and his death, and that a 20-strong investigation team was searching for a possible motive and a suspect. His Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party said Lübcke had “never been afraid to speak his mind”.
In 2015, at a time of when Merkel was facing vehement criticism for her handling of the refugee crisis, Lübcke spoke out in defence of his party leader’s decision not to close German borders, drawing anger from far-right activists.
At a public meeting in October 2015 that was attended by members of the local branch of anti-refugee movement Pegida, Lübcke drew jeers for his remarks: “You have to stand up for your values. If you don’t share those values, then anyone is free to leave this country if they don’t agree.”
However, Sabine Thurau, the Hesse state’s criminal police chief, said there was no evidence of a link between those comments and his death and that a 20-strong investigation team was searching for a possible motive and a suspect.
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