German pro-immigration politicians receive death threats

At least two mayors have received death threats just days after another German politician was shot dead, police say.

Authorities have said a person detained in connection with the shooting of Walter Lübcke earlier this month may be linked to a far-right network.

Police said mayors received death threats in the mail but declined to confirm media reports that the anonymous threats warned of “purging” and ended with the words “Sieg Heil” and “Heil Hitler”.

It was unclear whether the latest threats were connected to the death of Lübcke.

Among those targeted was Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker, who was stabbed in the neck in 2015 by a right-wing extremist while campaigning.

A 45-year-old man, named as Frank S, was convicted of attempted murder and jailed for 14 years.

He had links with right-wing groups and had targeted Reker over her welcoming stance to refugees, a court found.

Another one was Andreas Hollstein, mayor of the small western town of Altena who was knifed in 2017.

Investigators in Cologne said the note to Reker may have been sent by a right-wing extremist, but did not provide further details, local media report.

Reker, 62, said she would not be deterred by death threats or "retreat" from doing the job that she has been tasked to do, the newspaper Bild reported (in German).

Lübcke, 65, was a leading member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling centre-right CDU party and a supporter of her refugee policies.

In the early hours of Sunday 2 June, Lübcke was found dead on the terrace of his home in the village of Istha, police said. He had died as the result of a bullet fired at close range.

A suspect with links to far-right groups and a history of violence was later arrested based on DNA evidence from the scene, officials said.

Lübcke, came to national prominence in October 2015 when he spoke out in favour of providing accommodation for refugees.

Germany had decided to let in Syrians fleeing the civil war, and large numbers of asylum seekers were crossing Germany's borders on a daily basis.

He reportedly received death threats and was given personal protection after telling a rowdy town hall meeting they had to stand up for Christian values.