Overview
- Staatsanwaltschaft Itzehoe has opened a criminal investigation into CDU politician Baris Karabacak and executed a search that reportedly seized at least one electronic device for forensic analysis.
- Police were first called after Karabacak reported damage to his campaign car and a handwritten xenophobic message attached to a flyer during his mayoral campaign in Uetersen.
- Karabacak denies the allegations through his lawyer and says he trusts the prosecutors to reach an objective conclusion.
- CDU Schleswig-Holstein leaders have said they will demand Karabacak’s resignation or start exclusion proceedings if investigators find he staged the attack, and local officials called the episode an assault on the town’s democratic culture.
- No charges have been filed and the case remains under active investigation so journalists and readers should expect further updates as seized devices are examined and evidence is assessed.