Germany Reul: "Real suspect" arrested after attack
The police have arrested a suspect in connection with the knife attack in Solingen.
25.08.2024, 00:21
SDA
North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) made the announcement on ARD's "Tagesthemen" program and spoke of a "real suspect" who had been sought all day. He is now being questioned. A spokesperson for the State Ministry of the Interior confirmed that the man had turned himself in. This had previously been reported by "Spiegel" and "Bild".
With regard to a search in a refugee shelter in Solingen, Reul said that this was part of further information that had been used. "But that was not what we wanted. We have been following a hot lead all day, and I can tell you that we successfully ended this hot lead a few minutes ago, the person we were actually looking for all day has been in our custody for a short time."
It is too early to assess whether the arrest is ultimately a success. "I myself am a little relieved at the moment," said Reul. "I can only tell you that it is now more than a hunch. Not only did we have a lead on this person, but we also found evidence."
According to "Spiegel", it is a 26-year-old Syrian. According to this information, he came to Germany at the end of December 2022 and applied for asylum. According to Spiegel, he was not previously known to the security authorities as an Islamist extremist. This information was confirmed to the German Press Agency.
On Friday evening, a man apparently stabbed bystanders at random at an anniversary celebration of the city of Solingen in the Bergisches Land region. He then escaped in the commotion and initial panic. Two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman died. Eight people were injured, four of them seriously.
