Authorities in Germany confirmed that on Friday night (August 23), during a festival event in the western city of Solingen, a perpetrator armed with a knife killed three people and injured at least five others, who are currently in critical condition. The suspect is still at large.
Shortly after 9:30 pm on Friday night, witnesses reported to the police that an unidentified assailant was attacking several people with a knife at the Fronhof market square in Solingen. At that time, there were still live bands performing at the square.
The police stated that the attacker is still on the run, and so far they have only limited information about the perpetrator.
Authorities believe that this attack was carried out by a lone perpetrator.
As one of the organizers of the music festival, Philipp Müller, urged the audience to “calmly leave” the premises from the stage, saying, “Please keep your eyes open, unfortunately, the perpetrator has not been caught yet.”
He mentioned that many people were injured by “an armed assailant.”
At least one helicopter was seen flying in the air, with many police cars and ambulances flashing blue lights rushing through the streets, and several roads were cordoned off.
The police reported five people with severe injuries, but the highest security official in the region, Herbert Reul, mentioned during a visit to the scene early on Saturday that there were actually six people critically injured.
Reul stated that it is currently unclear the motive behind the assailant’s actions.
He said that the police are unable to explain any motive related to the attack at the moment, nor do they know who the attacker is. He added that the perpetrator quickly fled the scene.
Mayor Tim Kurzbach expressed shock on Facebook, saying, “Tonight, we Solingen residents are all shocked. We wanted to celebrate the anniversary of our city together, but now we have to mourn the dead and injured.”
He added, “An attack in our city makes my heart ache. Tears fill my eyes when I think of the citizens we have lost. I pray for all those still battling with death.”
Local newspaper Solingen Tageblatt reported on its website that the attack occurred during the festivities commemorating the 650th anniversary of the founding of Solingen. The celebration, originally scheduled to start on Friday and end on Sunday, featured live music, song and dance performances, and acrobatics on several stages in the central streets.
Following the attack, the city government canceled the remaining events of the celebration. Solingen has a population of about 160,000 residents and is located near major cities like Cologne and Dusseldorf.
Recent knife violence incidents in Germany have raised concerns among the public.
On May 31, a 25-year-old Afghan man attacked people at an anti-Islam rally in Mannheim’s marketplace, causing one death and five injuries. A police officer attempting to stop the perpetrator was stabbed in the head multiple times and succumbed to his injuries on June 2.
Germany’s top security official and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser proposed this month to strengthen weapon laws, allowing only knives with a blade length not exceeding 6 cm (about 2.4 inches) to be carried in public places, instead of the current allowance of 12 cm (4.7 inches) in length.
(This article referenced reports from Reuters and Associated Press)