Stabbing in Solingen: Teenager arrested after knife attack at festival with three dead; Islamic State claims responsibility

SOLINGEN, Germany — The terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS) claimed responsibility for a knife attack in Solingen, Germany, on Saturday in which three people were killed, according to the news website Amaq.

The group said the attacker was targeting Christians and was an “Islamic State soldier” who carried out the attack “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere else.”

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German police said they had arrested a 15-year-old boy and were trying to determine whether the teenager was connected to the stabbing of several people at a music festival in Solingen on Friday.

Three people were killed in the attack and eight others were injured, four of whom were considered “very seriously injured”. The police are still looking for the attacker.

Among those killed in the attack were two men aged 67 and 57 and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said.

The 15-year-old, who was arrested in the early hours of the morning, is accused of “failing to report planned criminal offenses,” but no charges have been brought against him, said Düsseldorf Attorney General Markus Caspers at a press conference on Saturday.

Two female witnesses overheard a conversation between the 15-year-old and another person that could indicate the attack and reported this information to the police after the incident, Caspers said.

Police are continuing to search “various locations” and look for possible perpetrators, police said in a press conference on Saturday. Police currently believe that the person acted alone.

Police said they found several knives at the crime scene and believe the attacker may have been aiming for his victims' necks.

Authorities are still investigating the motive for the attack, but said the victims did not appear to have been related to each other and investigators suspect it may have been a terrorist attack, Caspers said.

The “Festival of Diversity” took place throughout the weekend to mark Solingen’s 650th anniversary, according to the organizers.

Before the festival, the police had stated that they had had no indications of any danger, which is why no surveillance zones or similar measures had been set up. They announced that even more thorough security concepts would be developed in the future.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.