Germany Three dead in knife attack at Solingen city festival
An attacker has killed three people with a knife at an anniversary celebration in the city of Solingen.
24.08.2024, 06:15
SDA
According to the information available so far, five people have also been seriously injured. The police in North Rhine-Westphalia classified the crime on Friday evening as an attack due to the targeted approach of the perpetrator.
The perpetrator was still on the run early on Saturday morning. "We currently have no indication of his whereabouts," said a police spokesman. There is no confirmed information on the fugitive's appearance.
"I think that's our big problem. We don't have that much information about the perpetrator yet," explained Alexander Kresta, spokesman for the Wuppertal police. Witnesses who were in the immediate vicinity of the incident were in shock. "We are currently providing them with professional support and we are of course questioning them in order to obtain more precise information."
However, the investigators can currently assume that it was a single perpetrator, Kresta continued. All witness statements that the police have been able to record so far point to this. "We are not aware of any other people."
Perpetrator escaped in the commotion after the attack
The perpetrator managed to escape in the turmoil and panic that initially spread after the attack, said a spokesperson for the NRW Ministry of the Interior. According to the police, the perpetrator appears to have attacked passers-by at random, meaning that he chose his victims at random. According to the Ministry of the Interior, however, he had stabbed their necks very deliberately. There was no news about the condition of the injured until the morning.
The later victims were visitors to the festival celebrating the 650th anniversary of the founding of Solingen. The scene of the crime was the Fronhof - a market square in the city center where a stage had been set up for the anniversary celebration. According to a reporter from the German Press Agency, the crime took place directly in front of the stage.
Police warn citizens against acting on their own initiative
The search for the perpetrator continued on Saturday morning. A police spokesman advised: Anyone who observes anything suspicious should not act on their own initiative, but should call the emergency number 110. The police in Wuppertal called on people to avoid Solingen city center via Facebook.
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) arrived at the scene of the crime that night and was visibly shocked. "Out of nowhere, someone stabs people indiscriminately", said Reul. "We in North Rhine-Westphalia are deeply shocked and united in grief." The dead were a woman and two men.
The city has completely ended the street festival originally planned for three days. The events planned for this Saturday and Sunday have also been canceled.
Randomly stabbing passers-by
According to the police, the attacker struck at around 9.37 pm. A major alarm was triggered shortly afterwards. At least one helicopter was in the air, numerous emergency vehicles with flashing blue lights and ambulances were on the road and streets were cordoned off. Armed officers secured the scene.
According to the "Solinger Tageblatt" newspaper, thousands of visitors followed the request to leave the square calmly and not to panic. "People were shocked but left the square peacefully," Philipp Müller, one of the festival's co-organizers, was quoted as saying. Later, an eerie atmosphere prevailed in the almost deserted city center.
Mayor speaks of assassination attempt
Solingen's Lord Mayor Tim Kurzbach reacted with shock. "Tonight we are all in shock, horror and great sadness in Solingen," the SPD politician wrote on the city's Facebook page. "It tears my heart apart that there was an attack on our city. I have tears in my eyes when I think of those we have lost. I pray for all those who are still fighting for their lives."
North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst described the attack as an "act of the most brutal and senseless violence". The act had "struck our country in the heart", he wrote on Platform X. NRW is united in shock and grief. "In these dark hours, the people of our state and beyond are in Solingen with their hearts and minds," the CDU politician continued. And: "A big thank you goes to the many rescue workers and our police who are fighting for human lives in these minutes."
Police set up tip-off portal
The police have activated a tip-off portal where witnesses to the incident can upload cell phone photos and videos (www.nrw.hinweisportal.de). The city of Solingen in turn set up a hotline for citizens with questions about missing persons (0212 - 290-2000). The police had received an increasing number of inquiries from worried relatives.
The "Festival of Diversity" in Solingen began on Friday. It was to last until Sunday. The announcement said: "Solingen Mitte will become a large festival mile: From the Neumarkt to the Fronhof to the Mühlenplatz there will be celebrations." In the streets, visitors can expect a program with music, cabaret, acrobatics, arts and crafts, entertainment for children and much more.
Faeser recently announced stricter gun laws
In view of the increase in knife attacks, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) recently announced a tightening of gun laws. Accordingly, knives with a blade length of up to six centimetres instead of the previous twelve centimetres will only be allowed to be carried in public. There is to be a general ban on handling dangerous switchblade knives.
In mid-June, a 27-year-old Afghan was shot dead by officers in Wolmirstedt in Saxony-Anhalt after first stabbing a 23-year-old and then allegedly injuring several people at a private European Championship garden party. In Mannheim, an Afghan injured five members of the Islam-critical Pax Europa movement and an officer with a knife on May 31. The police officer later died.
