German politician comes under gun attack

A local politician in south-western Germany was seriously injured and went into surgery after an unknown assailant shot several times through the outside of the politician's home early Sunday morning, German authorities said on Monday, reported dpa.

The shooting of the 65-year-old local councillor, a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), was in Hattenhofen, a town of about 3,000. The victim, who was not identified, was in hospital but his life was not in danger, the police and public prosecutor said.

The pro-business FDP is one of the coalition partners in the federal government.

There is no trace of the shooter and the background to the crime is unclear. Police have formed a special commission and are also investigating a possible connection to other shots fired in other places in the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg in the past weeks.

These include an attack on a man in Stuttgart, who was shot and seriously injured by unknown persons outside a restaurant in the Zuffenhausen district on Friday evening. The shooting is reminiscent of similar incidents near Stuttgart where individuals had been shot and seriously injured by unknown persons.

Local politicians expressed their sympathy and concern following the Sunday shooting.

"I am horrified by the terrible news," the FDP state parliamentary group leader Hans-Ulrich Rülke said in a first statement on the shooting. He said his thoughts were now with the local politician and his family.