Knife attack in Germany: Police search for attacker, 3 dead, 8 injured

SOLINGEN (AP) – Special police units participated on Saturday in the search for an unknown man who a knife attack at a well-attended festival in the western German city of Solingen, killing three people and injuring at least eight others, five of them seriously.

“The police are currently conducting a large-scale manhunt for the perpetrator,” said a police statement. “Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned,” it said.

Police did not say they had yet established the identity of the attacker and warned people to remain vigilant even as well-wishers began laying flowers at the scene. Police set up an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and other information relevant to the attack.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Friday, the police were alerted because an unknown attacker had injured several people with a knife on the Fronhof, a central square. The police assume that the stabbings were committed by a lone perpetrator and did not provide any information on the identity of the victims.

“Last night it broke our hearts. We Solingen residents are filled with horror and sadness. What happened in our city yesterday is making it hard for us to sleep,” said Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach to journalists near the crime scene on Saturday.

The “Festival of Diversity” to mark the city's 650th anniversary began on Friday and was scheduled to run until Sunday. Attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics were to be offered on several stages in the central streets.

The attack occurred in the crowd in front of a stage. Hours after the attack, the stage lights were still on while police and forensics searched the cordoned-off area for clues.

One of the festival organizers, Philipp Müller, appeared on stage on Friday and asked festival-goers to “stay calm and please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator has not yet been caught.” Solingen has about 160,000 inhabitants and is located near the larger cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf.

The rest of the festival was cancelled.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to the fullest extent of the law.

“The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me deeply. An attacker brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen's mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and support their families,” Scholz said on X.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke with the mayor of Solingen on Saturday morning.

“The heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country. We mourn the dead and worry about the injured. I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from the bottom of my heart,” Steinmeier said in a statement on Saturday.

“The perpetrator must be brought to justice. Let us stand together against hatred and violence.”

There are fears of an increase in knife violence in Germany and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed tightening the gun laws. In future, carrying knives in public will only be permitted if the blade is up to six centimetres long. Currently, only 12 centimetres is permitted.

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Liechtenstein reported from Vienna.