Pro-refugee mayor of Germany's Altena stabbed NEWS / EUROPE What Germany's refugees think about the elections Germany elections: Far- right AfD party makes big gains Germany Europe Refugee Crisis Mayor Andreas Hollstein arrives to a press conference with an injury at his neck at the town hall in Altena, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017. The mayor was stabbed at a kebab restaurant Monday night . The attack was likely political motivated. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) [The Associated Press] The mayor of the German town of Altena has been stabbed in what appears to be a political attack. Andreas Hollstein, 57, was struck in the neck while in a kebab shop. Witnesses said the attacker criticised the mayor's pro-refugee policy during the stabbing. The attack was stopped by Demir Abdullah, the shop owner, and his son. Hollstein was lightly injured on his neck after the assailant put a large knife on his throat. "You let me die of thirst but you bring 200 refugees to Altena", the attacker said according to Hollstein. "I was lucky the shop owners helped me," he said during a press conference. "They risked their own lives by doing so. I'm sure that if they hadn't reacted like that, I wouldn't be alive." The attacker is being prosecuted for attempted murder. Altena, a city with about 17,000 inhabitans, has been very welcoming to refugees coming to Germany , taking in more refugees than the quota that had been set and using the slogan "From refugee to fellow citizen" as a way to promote its open policy. Hollstein, member of the Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU party, has been part of the driving force behind this pro-refugee stance. In May, he received an award from Merkel for his part in integrating refugees into German society. On Twitter, Merkel condemned the attack, saying she was appalled by the event. "I'm very relieved he can be with his family again. Thank you for those who have helped him."