Solingen, Germany knife attack: German police comb western city for stabber who killed 3 people at Diversity Festival

SOLINGEN, Germany — Special police units joined the search on Saturday for a knife-wielding unknown man who slit the throats of revelers at a crowded festival in the western German city of Solingen, killing three people and injuring at least eight others, four of them seriously.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested early Saturday. Police said he was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and not informing authorities, but he was not the attacker.

Markus Caspers of the prosecutor's office's counter-terrorism unit said at a press conference on Saturday that authorities had not yet found the perpetrator of the attack.

“So far we have not been able to identify a motive, but given the general circumstances we cannot exclude” the possibility of a terrorist act, Mr Caspers said, without giving further details.

The three people who died were two men, ages 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed at his victims' throats.

Thorsten Fleiss of the German police, who was the head of operations on Friday evening, said police are conducting various searches and investigations across the state of North Rhine-Westphalia that will continue throughout the day.

He said it was a “huge challenge” to piece together the available evidence and witness testimony to get a comprehensive picture.

Police have urged people to remain vigilant, even as people have begun to lay flowers at the scene. Authorities have set up an online portal where witnesses can upload images and other relevant information about the attack.

Police were alerted shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Friday by residents who reported that an unknown attacker had injured several people with a knife in a central square, the Fronhof.

“Last night our hearts were torn. We in Solingen are filled with horror and sorrow. What happened yesterday in our city has not allowed anyone to sleep,” Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach said, speaking to reporters Saturday near the scene of the attack.

The “Diversity Festival,” marking the city's 650th anniversary, began Friday and was scheduled to run through Sunday, with several stages on central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

The attack took place in a crowd in front of a stage. Hours after the attack, the stage lights were still on as police and investigators searched for clues in the cordoned-off area. The remainder of the festival was canceled.

Solingen has around 160,000 inhabitants and is located close to the larger cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf.

Caspers said at the news conference that the 15-year-old boy was arrested after two women contacted police. They said they had listened in on a conversation between the boy and an unknown person before the attack, talking about intentions consistent with the events that followed.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the culprit must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law.

“The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me deeply. An attacker killed several people in a brutal manner. I have just spoken to the mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and support their families,” Scholz said on X.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to Kurzbach on Saturday morning.

“The heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country. We mourn the dead and worry about the injured. I wish them strength and a speedy recovery with all my heart,” Steinmeier said in a statement Saturday.

“The perpetrator must be brought to justice. Let us stand united against hatred and violence.”

There are concerns about the rise in knife violence in Germany, and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed tightening gun laws to allow only knives with blades up to 6 centimetres (nearly 2.4 inches) to be carried in public, rather than the current 12 centimetres (4.7 inches) length.

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Liechtenstein reported from Vienna.