‘Racist’ attack injures Turk in Germany


A German citizen of Turkish origin was injured in what he claimed was a "racist" attack in Pforzheim, Germany.İbrahim Kural, who runs a Turkish restaurant in the southwestern German city of Pforzheim, was stabbed in the arm when members of a racist group stormed his business on New Year's Eve. German police said two assailants, who are brothers, were captured after the attack and knives were found in their possession. Two suspects were released pending trial while a third assailant remains at large.Kural said two men and a woman attempted to enter the restaurant that was closed for a dinner with his family and attacked when he refused to let them in. He said one of the attackers stabbed him in the arm while others trashed the restaurant."I was with my family and relatives and about to have a dinner on New Year's Eve in the restaurant. We were closed and three people knocked on the door. My brother told them the place was closed. They forced their way in and when we confronted them, they swore at us. Then they smashed windows. I saw one of them drawing a pistol and kicked it out of his hand. This time, another one drew a knife. My wife pulled me back as he tried to stab me. If she didn't grab me, the knife would have hit me in the heart," he said. Kural also said that the assailants fled when they shouted for the police.Kural described the men as "skinheads" and said they were shocked by the "racist" attack.The police did not comment on whether the attack had racist motivations, but hate crimes targeting Turks and Muslims are common in Germany. German authorities announced in 2011 that a neo-Nazi gang was responsible for the murders of eight Turkish shopkeepers in the notorious NSU case. Killings were dubbed "doner killings" by German media outlets, after döner restaurants, like Kural's, which are commonly run by Turks.