RUSSIANS were reportedly searching online for information about a terror attack before it happened, sparking fears that Putin knew what was coming.
Michael Stürzenberger, a far-right activist aged 59, sustained serious injuries during an incident in Mannheim where a German police officer lost his life after a rejected asylum seeker went on a stabbing spree in May.
An investigation by German broadcaster ZDF has brought to light that online searches for “Michael Stürzenberger stabbed” and “Michael Stürzenberger attack” saw a significant increase prior to the tragic incident.
Reports suggest that Russian internet users were also attempting to access a live webcam stream of Mannheim’s town square, the location where the attack unfolded.
The feed would have allowed users to watch the horrific ordeal unfold in real time.
These shocking revelations have sparked speculation that Vladimir Putin knew about the attacks before they happened.
Former officer in Germany’s BND foreign intelligence service Gerhard Conrad said the searches were not proof of Russian involvement but were certainly cause for concern.
Conrad said: “With this evidence I would say we certainly have here at least an initial suspicion in intelligence terms — not in prosecutorial terms, but an initial suspicion in intelligence terms — that we need to follow up.”
Green Party MP and head of the Bundestag’s intelligence oversight committee, Konstantin von Notz, agreed that the internet searches were grounds for an official investigation.
The terror attack took place at a gathering for the BPE political group, which is known to hold anti-Islam views.
The event was live-streamed to thousands on YouTube and captured the moment the square descended into chaos.
The footage shows a bearded man armed with a large knife lunging at Stürzenberger before the pair tumbles to the floor
The rampaging knifeman repeatedly stabbed Stürzenberger in the face, neck and chest area.
Other men dressed in blue, who also appeared to have taken part in the rally, attempted to pull the attacker from his victim.
Stürzenberger appeared to have been stabbed in his leg and face.
Blood spilled from a hole in his jeans and dripped near his eyes.
A policeman tripped in the chaos and was crouched over when the knifeman lunged towards him and stabbed him in the back and side.
Another officer pointed a gun at the attacker, who fell to the ground as a shot rang out in the Mannheim market square.
The stabbing was the first of a spate of reported terror attacks in Germany.
In February a Syrian refugee, reportedly attempted to slit the throat of a 30-year-old Spanish tourist.
The victim, believed to be from Bilbao, suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
The vile attack took place on the northern side of the 19,000sq metre monument made up of 2,700 grey concrete slabs, near the US Embassy.
Cops cordoned off the crime scene between the Memorial and the Embassy in Berlin’s Mitte district on Friday night.
They later confirmed they detained a blood-stained suspect after a manhunt was triggered.
