Polish mayor stabbed in the heart on stage

WARSAW, Poland — A convicted criminal with a knife rushed on to the stage during the finale of a charity event Sunday night and stabbed a Polish mayor in the heart and abdomen before shouting that he did it for political revenge, in an attack that left doctors fighting to save the politician's life.

Gdansk Mayor Pawel Adamowicz grabbed his belly and collapsed in front of the audience at the "Lights to Heaven" fundraiser organized by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, the country's most important charity.

Doctors reanimated Adamowicz on the spot and then transported him to Medical University of Gdansk, where he underwent five hours of surgery, said Dr. Tomasz Stefaniak, one of the doctors treating Adamowicz.

Almost seven hours after the assault, Stefaniak told reporters early Monday that "the patient is alive," triggering applause, but added that the mayor remained "in a very serious condition."

"The next hours will decide everything," Stefaniak said, appealing for thoughts and prayers for the popular mayor.