August 24th 2024.
Special police units were called in on Saturday to assist in the search for a man who had committed a stabbing attack at a busy festival in Solingen, a city in western Germany. The attack resulted in the tragic deaths of three individuals, while eight others were wounded, four of them seriously.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, a 15-year-old boy was arrested. However, authorities clarified that he was not the attacker but was suspected of having knowledge about the planned attack and failing to inform the authorities. At a press conference, Markus Caspers from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutors office stated that they have yet to identify the perpetrator.
Caspers also mentioned that although a motive has not been determined, they cannot rule out the possibility of terrorism given the circumstances. However, he did not provide any further details. Thorsten Fleiss, the chief of operations for the German police on Friday night, shared that investigations and searches are ongoing throughout the state of North Rhine Westphalia.
He acknowledged that it is a challenging task to piece together evidence and witness testimonies in order to paint a complete picture of what transpired. The victims of the attack were identified as two men aged 67 and 56, as well as a 56-year-old woman. As people began to leave flowers at the scene in remembrance of the victims, the police urged the public to remain vigilant.
An online portal was set up by authorities for witnesses to upload any relevant footage or information related to the attack. The police were alerted to the situation shortly after 9:30 PM on Friday, when an unknown assailant was reported to have wounded several people with a knife in a central square known as the Fronhof.
According to the police, they believe the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker, but they have not released any information about the victims' identities. The mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, expressed his shock and grief over the incident in a statement to the press on Saturday near the scene of the attack.
The festival, which was celebrating the city's 650th anniversary, had begun on Friday and was scheduled to continue until Sunday. It featured various stages with live music, cabaret, and acrobatic performances in the city's central streets. Sadly, the attack occurred in front of one of these stages.
Even hours after the attack, the stage lights remained on as the police and forensic investigators combed through the area for any clues. One of the festival organizers, Philipp Müller, addressed the attendees on Friday, urging them to remain calm and keep an eye out for the perpetrator who was still at large.
Solingen, with a population of about 160,000, is located near bigger cities like Cologne and Duesseldorf. The rest of the festival was canceled in light of the tragedy. In a statement on Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the need to apprehend the attacker and ensure that they face justice for their heinous actions.
He expressed his shock and condolences to the families of the victims, while also mentioning that he had spoken to Solingen's mayor, Tim Kurzbach. Similarly, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also reached out to the mayor on Saturday morning, stating that the attack had shocked the country and expressing his concern for the injured.
Steinmeier also emphasized the importance of standing together against hatred and violence, while also stressing the need to bring the perpetrator to justice. In recent months, there has been a growing concern about knife violence in Germany. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has proposed stricter weapons laws, suggesting that knives with a blade length of no more than 6 centimeters should be allowed in public, instead of the current limit of 12 centimeters.
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