Shocking new vid of stabbing attack at Mannheim anti-Islam rally reveals why hero cop tackled victim instead of knifeman

CHAOTIC footage from the stabbing rampage in Germany shows a hero cop tackling the wrong man while trying to apprehend the knifeman.

A man in a blue jacket, possibly a rally organiser, punches someone lying on the ground in dramatic footage before the officer takes him out.

It's possible the cop, who is in a coma after being stabbed in the head and neck, thought he was the knifeman.

Video shows the man in blue pounding a man in a black top and light trousers as he lies on the floor - before the officer knocks him down.

Meanwhile the knifeman, in a green top and black tracksuit bottoms, is embroiled in the brawl nearby and appears to head towards them.

It is unclear whether the man in blue believed he was fending off the knifeman as he punched the person on the ground.

The stabbing rampage unfolded on Friday morning in Mannheim square, at an anti-Islam demonstration.

Six people including far-right activist Michael Stürzenberger were injured.

Live-streamed on YouTube, horrific close-up footage showed the knifeman stabbing the police officer from behind.

The policeman captured in the shocking new video has been placed in an induced coma, officials said yesterday.

At around 11.30am local time, a live stream captured the moment 25-year-old Sulaiman A launched his attack, brandishing a huge knife.

Named in local media, reports said Sulaiman had emigrated from Afghanistan to Germany in 2013.

Locals in Mannheim said they feel unsafe following the rampage on Friday.

Floral tributes and candles were laid down in the market square where residents gathered today.

Emilia, a 22-year-old student, told MailOnline: "It is definitely scary, this is our way home.

"We walk past [the market square] daily and will think about what happened here and that it could happen again any day.

"I couldn't believe what happened at first.

"I couldn't believe my own eyes, I couldn't believe that something like this happened only 200 metres away from where I was."

Leo, 21, also said: "To see something like that happen in a place where we spend a lot of time ourselves and to know that could have also been a friend, my girlfriend or myself standing there, that obviously really shocked me."

"It really hit close to home."

On Saturday Stürzenberger posted a message to Telegram after undergoing surgery for wounds to his leg and face.

He said that his more than two-hour operation "went well" but revealed that it was "really close" following the stabbing.

The anti-Muslim blogger sustained wounds to his knee and above the thigh, causing "significant blood loss".

Stürzenberger said: "The stab wound in the side of the chest, which went towards the lungs, could have been life-threatening. The injury to the upper arm is relatively minor.

"The stabs in the face are different. I have braces in the side of my jaw. My upper lip was stitched and I had a gaping open wound down to my teeth."

He added: "I hope that the police officer who stabbed him in the neck and all the other injured people will soon be well again."

The rally was organised by "Citizens' Movement PAX Europa" who campaigns particularly against the construction of mosques in Germany.

They claim to lobby for "freedom and democracy" against so-called "Islamisation".