May 7 (UPI) — The newly-elected mayor of Freiburg, Germany, received a broken nose and lost a tooth when he was punched at a victory rally.
Martin Horn won the mayoral election in the university town Sunday with over 44 percent of the vote, in a surprise victory. At a post-election celebration with about 300 supporters, he’d finished a round of media interviews when an unidentified man approached him, seeking a photograph, and suddenly punched him in the face.
“I have a broken nose, two small stitches and a broken tooth,” Horn said after he was treated at a hospital.
Police said the suspect has a background of psychiatric issues and prior run-ins with law enforcement.
Outgoing Mayor Dieter Salomon, who was defeated in the election, wished Horn a speedy recovery.
Freiburg, a city of 233,000 near Germany’s border with France, is regarded as a stronghold of progressive and environmentalist politics.
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