What we know about the deadly knife attack at a community festival in Solingen, Germany

A major police operation has been launched to find the suspect who fled after killing three people and injuring several others.

The festivities turned to tragedy. A knife attack left three people dead and several injured on Friday, August 23, during a community festival in Solingen, in western Germany. The perpetrator is being actively sought and his motives remain unknown for the time being. The police announced the arrest of one person and are currently examining his links to the suspect. However, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser denounced a “brutal attack” and the Düsseldorf public prosecutor considered that a “terrorist act” could not “to be excluded”. Here is what we know about this attack which plunged the country into fear.

A move to action during the launch of several days of festivities

Thousands of spectators gathered on Friday evening in front of a stage set up in the centre of Solingen, a town of some 160,000 inhabitants, for the launch of several days of festivities. The event was to celebrate the 650th anniversary of the North Rhine-Westphalian city and its cultural diversity.

It was around 9:40 p.m. when a man armed with a knife, “s“come out of nowhere”, “randomly stabbed people and killed them”described regional Interior Minister Herbert Reul during a visit to the site during the night. According to the local daily Solinger Tageblatta member of the organization came on stage shortly after 10 p.m. to interrupt the concert. Explaining that emergency services were trying to save the lives of people who had been attacked with knives, he asked the audience to leave the premises, the newspaper continued. “People left the square in shock, but calmly”Philipp Müller, one of the organizers, testified in the same daily.

A witness also claims to Solinger Tageblatt having found himself a few meters from the attack, not far from the scene, “understanding from the singer’s facial expression that something was wrong”. “And then, a meter from me, a person fell”says the man, Lars Breitzke. When he turned around, he saw people lying on the ground and several pools of blood. The current toll is three dead and eight injured, five of them seriously, according to the police.

“Tonight we are all in shock in Solingen, in horror and in great sadness. We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we have to mourn the dead and the injured.”, detailed on Facebook Mayor Tim Kurzbach.“I get tears in my eyes when I think of those we have lost. I pray for all those who are still fighting for their lives.” “The horrible act in Solingen upsets me, it upsets our country”declared the head of state Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a telephone interview with the mayor of the town, as reported by his spokesperson on the social network X.

BPr #Steinmeier hat heute mit Oberbürgermeister Tim Kurzbach telefoniert: “Die schreckliche Tat von #Solingen erschüttert mich, sie erschüttert unser Land. Wir trauern um die Toten und bangen um die Verletzten, denen ich von Herzen Kraft und baldige Genesung wünsche.“

— Cerstin Gammelin (@BPrSprecherin) August 24, 2024

A major police operation is underway to find the suspect

A major police operation was immediately launched to find the suspect who fled after hitting the crowd. Düsseldorf police announced the arrest of one person, a 15-year-old boy suspected of “non-denunciation” of a criminal act. Investigators believe he may have been in contact with the perpetrator of the attack, Attorney General Markus Caspers said at a press conference.

“The culprit must be arrested quickly and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who also said “upset”on the X network.

Der Anschlag in Solingen ist ein schreckliches Ereignis, das mich sehr bestürzt. Ein Attentäter hat mehrere Menschen brutal getötet. Gerade habe ich mit Solingens Oberbürgermeister Tim Kurzbach telefoniert. Wir trauern um die Opfer und stehen an der Seite der Angehörigen. (1/2)

— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) August 24, 2024

“Victims and witnesses are currently being questioned”police said early this morning. Searches are also underway in various locations. Investigators have called on the public to provide any information, including photos and videos, to help with the search. An information platform and a telephone line have been set up.

Information on the subject in #Solingen (Fotos and Videos) können Sie der #police under „https://t.co/GTDDYPb8t3“ mitteilen.

Die Stadt Solingen is a Bürgertelefon einrichten. The telephone number is switched on if the channel is switched on, but it can be switched on. pic.twitter.com/v8sS3uIxTC

— Polizei NRW W (@polizei_nrw_w) August 24, 2024

The many police officers present during the night were assisted by special forces agents, noted an AFP photographer, according to whom a helicopter was also participating in the operations. On Saturday morning,Many streets in the centre of Solingen were closed off on Saturday morning. according to the Düsseldorf police. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser assured that “The security services are doing everything in their power to arrest the perpetrator of the attack.”

A motive still unknown at this stage but a high terrorist threat

Even though the Minister of the Interior spoke of“brutal attack”oAt this stage, we are unaware of the author’s motivations. They “remain unknown”acknowledged Nancy Faeserassuring that investigators are trying to “determine the context”. “Why, nobody knows. We can’t say anything at the moment about the motive, about the person.”also stressed the regional Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul, calling for caution on the nature of the attack. “We have not been able to identify a motive so far, but we assume, in view of all the circumstances, that the initial suspicion of a terrorist-motivated act cannot be excluded.”nevertheless stressed Attorney General Markus Caspers during his press conference.

German authorities have been on high alert in recent years in the face of a dual terrorist threat, jihadism and right-wing extremism. In August, the Interior Minister announced that she wanted to ban knives longer than six centimetres from public spaces, with some members of the government coalition even calling for a total ban, in the face of a surge in knife attacks.

The attack also comes in a political context. The coalition of Social Democrat Olaf Scholz faces key regional elections in the east of the country in a week, where the far-right AfD party is far ahead of the government parties.