Germany : Ongoing probe into the Solingen festival knife attack as the suspect remains at large
SOLINGEN (Germany) – The German police continued investigations on Saturday morning to find the suspect who killed up to three people on Friday evening during the 650th anniversary celebrations of the city of Solingen in western Germany.
Following the attack during the festivities in this town in North Rhine-Westphalia, the area has been “heavily cordoned off,” the police said. The attack left at least three people dead – one woman and two men – and eight injured, five of them in critical conditions, the authorities added.
“Tonight, we are all in a state of shock, horror, and deep sadness in Solingen. We all wanted to celebrate our town’s anniversary together, and now we have deaths and injuries to mourn,” wrote the mayor of this Ruhr basin municipality, Tim-Oliver Kurzbach, on the town’s website.
The attack began around 9:45 pm on Friday, the police said. It unfolded at a marketplace in the city centre, where a stage was set up for live music. The crime took place directly in front of the stage, according to a dpa reporter.
The police indicated that the attacker indiscriminately stabbed passers-by, and eyewitnesses noted that he acted alone. He ultimately managed to flee the scene, benefiting from the overall state of panic and shock.
Police warned residents who observe anything suspicious not to act on their own but to call the police emergency number.
“We currently have no clues as to his whereabouts,” said a police spokesman. “There was also no description of the suspect.”
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, a town with a population of over 150,000, and is located not far from Düsseldorf and north of Cologne.
