Son of former German president stabbed to death in Berlin

The son of former German president Richard von Weizsaecker was stabbed to death while he was giving a lecture at a hospital in Berlin where he worked as a head physician.

A 57-year-old man is in custody after a man jumped up from the audience at the Schlosspark-Klinik and attacked Fritz von Weizsaecker with a knife last night. 

An off-duty police officer who was in the audience at the time and tried to stop the attack was seriously wounded. The attacker was eventually apprehended with the help of members of the crowd. 

Von Weizsaecker, who is a senior internal medicine specialist, died at the scene despite his colleagues immediately rushing to try and save him. 

Fritz von Weizsaecker (left) at the funeral of his father and former German president, Richard von Weizsaecker, in 2015. His mother Marianne and sister Beatrice are also present, along with then-president Joachim Gauck (right)

A man being arrested by the police at a hospital in Berlin after Fritz von Weizsaecker was killed while he was giving a lecture at a hospital where he also worked as a renowned physician

A man being arrested by the police at a hospital in Berlin after Fritz von Weizsaecker was killed while he was giving a lecture at a hospital where he also worked as a renowned physician 

Police officers, firefighters and medical staff stand in front of the hospital after a doctor was stabbed to death as he delivered a lecture at the Schlosspark hospital in the western Berlin

Police officers, firefighters and medical staff stand in front of the hospital after a doctor was stabbed to death as he delivered a lecture at the Schlosspark hospital in the western Berlin

‘We cannot yet say anything about the attacker’s motive,’ said police spokesman Michael Gassen, adding that the suspect is still being questioned.

The officer was taken to a different hospital to receive treatment, Berlin’s fire department said on Twitter. 

A murder investigation has been launched and officers were at the scene taking statements from members of the audience and hospital staff, police said. 

 Von Weizaecker was married with four children.

The 59-year-old physician was the son of one of Germany’s most esteemed presidents, who was the country’s head of state – a largely ceremonial post – from 1984 to 1994. The former president died in 2015.

Fritz von Weizaecker was one of the ex-president’s four children. His sister Beatrice von Weizsaecker posted a picture of Jesus on the Cross on Instagram after the murder of her brother.

Von Weizsaecker studied and worked at several hospitals in Germany and abroad, including the Harvard Medical School in Boston and a hospital in Zurich, Switzerland. His fields of expertise were internal medicine and gastroenterology. 

Fritz von Weizsaecker the son of former German Richard von Weizsaecker president. A man can be seen (above) being arrested yesterday after he was knifed to death

Fritz von Weizsaecker the son of former German Richard von Weizsaecker president. A man can be seen (above) being arrested yesterday after he was knifed to death

Former president Richard von Weizsaecker and wife, Marianne Weizaecker, at the The Iron Lady film premiere in Berlin in 2012

Former president Richard von Weizsaecker and wife, Marianne Weizaecker, at the The Iron Lady film premiere in Berlin in 2012

On Tuesday night, he was giving a lecture about fatty liver disease, an increasingly common medical condition. 

The lecture was open to everybody and local media reported that several colleagues were among the audience as well.

Chief of the liberal FDP party, Christian Lindner, voiced his grief about his friend on Twitter, saying that ‘once again we ask ourselves what sort of world are we living in’.

He wrote: ‘My friend Fritz von Weizsäcker was stabbed today in Berlin. A passionate doctor and a fine person. 

Richard von Weizsaecker in 1994. He was president of West Germany from 1984 to 1990, and in the united country until 1994

Richard von Weizsaecker in 1994. He was president of West Germany from 1984 to 1990, and in the united country until 1994

‘He was just over at our house for a barbecue. I am stunned and must share my sadness. Once more you ask yourself, in what world do we live.’ 

The murder of von Weizsaecker echoes a similar incident from 2016, when a man fatally shot a doctor at Berlin’s Benjamin Franklin Hospital before killing himself.

The von Weizsaeckers are one of Germany’s most prominent families. Richard von Weizsacker was not only one of the most popular but also one of the country´s most respected presidents.

In 1985, then-West German President von Weizsaecker called the Nazi defeat Germany’s ‘day of liberation’ in a speech marking the 40th anniversary of the war’s end. 

His words were supported by most Germans, and to this day the speech is often cited by politicians and taught in schools.  

Considered one of Germany’s great post-war political figures, the elder Weizsaecker was president of West Germany from 1984 to 1990, and then held the same position in the united Germany from 1990 to 1994.

He was previously a deputy in the lower house of parliament for the CDU now led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, and mayor of West Berlin.

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