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A prosecutor says a terrorist motive has not been ruled out in a knife attack in western Germany that killed three people and wounded seven. A 15-year-old boy was arrested early Saturday but police said he was not the perpetrator.
Police arrest 15-year-old boy but say he was not the attackerThe Associated Press
· Posted: Aug 24, 2024 8:10 AM EDT | Last Updated: 35 minutes ago
Police officers and forensic staff examine a scene at a festival in western Germany where at least three people were fatally stabbed on Friday evening. (Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters)A prosecutor says a terrorist motive has not been ruled out in a knife attack in western Germany in which three people were killed and seven wounded.
Markus Caspers told a news conference on Saturday that authorities are still looking into what is behind the attack in the city of Solingen during a community festival on Friday evening.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested early Saturday but police said he was not the perpetrator.
“The police are currently conducting a large-scale search for the perpetrator,” police said in an earlier statement. “Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned.”
Police did not indicate that they had yet established the identity of the attacker and warned people to stay vigilant, even as well-wishers started to leave flowers at the scene of the community festival where the attack occurred on Friday.
Police established an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the attack.
Police officers are seen near the scene of a deadly attack that occurred at a festival in Solingen, Germany, on Friday. (Gianni Gattus/dpa/The Associated Press)People alerted police shortly after 9:30 p.m. local time on Friday that an unknown attacker had wounded several people with a knife on a central square, the Fronhof. Police said they believe the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker and gave no information about the identities of the victims.
“Last night our hearts were torn apart. We in Solingen are full of horror and grief. What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep,” the mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, said, speaking to reporters on Saturday near the scene of the attack.
The “Festival of Diversity,” marking the city’s 650th anniversary, began Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.
The attack took place in the crowd in front of one stage. Hours after the attack, the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators looked for clues in the cordoned-off square.
One of the festival organizers, Philipp Muller, appeared on stage on Friday and asked festivalgoers to “go calmly; please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught.”
Herbert Reul, the interior minister for the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, speaks to members of the media following a stabbing attack at a festival on Friday evening that left at least three people dead. (Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters)Solingen has about 160,000 residents and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf. The rest of the festival was cancelled.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the perpetrator of the attack must be caught quickly and punished with the full force of the law.
“The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly. An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen’s mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families,” Scholz said on X.
There has been concern about increased knife violence in Germany, and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to six centimetres to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12 centimetres that is currently allowed.
Police vehicles are seen near the site of a reported deadly stabbing attack in Solingen, Germany. (Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters)
