A 15-year-old kid has been placed under custody on suspicion of being aware of the impending attack and disobeying orders to notify the authorities.
According to its Amaq news agency, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a knife assault in Solingen, Germany on Saturday that left three people dead and eight others injured.
According to the organization, the assailant is a “soldier of the Islamic State” who carried out the attack “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere,” and he specifically targeted Christians.
According to the German news agency DPA, police started raiding an asylum seeker’s residence in the heart of Solingen, using special troops in the process.
A police official stated, “We are currently conducting police activities as a result of tips we have received.”
Special police teams had joined the hunt for the unidentified knifeman who killed three people and injured several more by slitting festivalgoers’ necks at a packed event in the western German city wounding at least eight others, four of them seriously.
An early arrest on Saturday included a 15-year-old kid. He was not the attacker, but police said he was accused of knowing about the intended attack and failing to notify authorities.
At a press conference on Saturday, Markus Caspers of the public prosecutors office’s counterterrorism unit stated that the culprit has not yet been located.
Although he could not provide any further information, Caspers stated, “So far we have not been able to identify a motive, but looking at the overall circumstances, we cannot rule out” the potential of terrorism.
According to the authorities, the three deceased individuals were a 56-year-old lady and two males, ages 67 and 56. According to the police, the perpetrator seemed to have intentionally targeted his victims’ throats.
The German police head of operations, Thorsten Fleiss, stated Friday night that officers are continuing their day-long series of searches and investigations throughout the whole state of North Rhine Westphalia.
He stated that assembling the material that is now available and witness testimonies to create a comprehensive picture is a “huge challenge.”
Additionally, Fleiss said that the police had discovered other knives, but he clarified that he was unable to verify if any of them had been used as weapons by the attacker.
While well-wishers began to lay flowers at the scene, police issued a warning to the public to remain watchful. Witnesses could post video and any other pertinent information about the incident onto an internet portal set up by the authorities.
Solingen churches have opened to provide a place for prayer and pastoral assistance in an emergency.
On Saturday night, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser visited Solingen. She said that every effort will be made by the government to assist Solingen and its citizens.
She made her appearance with State Minister for Internal Affairs Herbert Reul and Minister-President of the German State of North Rhine Westphalia Hendrik Wüst. “We will not allow that such an awful attack divides our society,” she declared.
“An act of terror against the security and freedom of this country,” was how Wüst characterised the incident. The nation’s top security officer, Faeser, hasn’t labeled it as a “terror attack,” though.
Reul declared that the continuing police operation in the city’s impacted districts would prevent the interior minister from making the scheduled visit to the crime scene. In order for the police to carry out their duties, he begged the people to “give time to the police.” Additionally, he stated that more police will be present at bigger events, particularly while the offender is still at large.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Friday, witnesses informed police that an unidentified assailant had used a knife to injure many individuals in the Fronhof, a key plaza.
“Our hearts were ripped apart last night. Here in Solingen, terror and sorrow are all around us. Speaking to reporters on Saturday close to the assault scene, Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach stated, “What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep.”
Commemorating the city’s 650th anniversary, the “Festival of Diversity” was set to start on Friday and continue through Sunday. Several stages located in the city’s key streets would include entertainment including acrobatics, cabaret, and live music.
The assault happened amid the throng in front of a single stage. The stage lights remained on for hours after the incident while police and forensic experts searched the plaza that had been roped off for clues. The festival was called off for the remainder.
With a population of around 160,000, Solingen is situated close to the larger cities of Duesseldorf and Cologne.
Caspers said during the press conference that two female witnesses called the police, leading to the 15-year-old boy’s detention. They claimed to have overheard the youngster and an unidentified individual discussing plans that lined up with what transpired in the aftermath of the incident.
Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, stated on Saturday that the offender has to be apprehended right away and dealt with severely under the law.
“I’m really surprised by the horrible incident that happened in Solingen. Several individuals have been brutally murdered by an assailant. Tim Kurzbach, the mayor of Solingen, and I recently chatted. We are with the families and we grieve for the victims,” Scholz stated on X.
Kurzbach also heard from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier early on Saturday.
“Our nation and I am shocked by the horrible deed in Solingen. Steinmeier released a statement on Saturday. “We grieve for the dead and worry for the injured. I wish them courage and a quick recovery from all my heart,” the statement said.
It is necessary to bring the offender to justice. Together, let’s resist violence and bigotry.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6 centimeters (nearly 2.4 inches) to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12 centimeters (4.7 inches), which is currently allowed. This was done in response to concerns about an increase in knife violence in Germany.
