On August 24, 2024, Solingen, Germany, the police secured access to the crime scene after the Solingen City Festival.
Andreas Lenz | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Police began hunting an unidentified assailant hours after he killed three people and injured several others in a stabbing attack at a festival in the western German city of Solingen on Saturday.
Eight people were injured, five of them seriously, police said in a statement early Saturday. That's more serious injuries than the four reported earlier by police.
Police said: “The victims and witnesses are currently being questioned. Police are currently deploying a large number of personnel to find the perpetrators.”
Police said the incident occurred at around 9:40 pm local time on Friday, when the man attacked multiple people with a knife.
Police added that the perpetrators specifically targeted people's throats. They were unable to provide further details or a motive.
“Our security services are making every effort to capture the perpetrators and investigate the background of the attack,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser posted on X.
The attack took place in Solingen's Fronhof market square, where a live band was playing. It was during a festival celebrating the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city, which is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the border with the Netherlands.
The German musician, who goes by the name Topic, said he was performing on a nearby stage when the incident occurred. He posted on Instagram that he was informed of what was happening but was asked to continue “to avoid causing mass panic.”
He was eventually told to stop, “With the attacker still at large, we took shelter in a nearby store while the police helicopter circled above us,” the thread reads.
Authorities canceled the remainder of the weekend festival.
Fatal stabbings and shootings are relatively rare in Germany. The government said earlier this month it wanted to tighten rules on carrying knives in public places by reducing the maximum length allowed.
June, 29 years old policeman dead Stabbed during an attack on a right-wing demonstration in Mannheim. stabbing Attack on train Several people were injured in 2021.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Ruhr visited the site earlier on Saturday. He told reporters it was a targeted attack on human life but declined to speculate on a motive.