German authorities have said they “can’t rule out” the possibility of terrorism after a stabbing attack at a fetival in the west of the country left three people dead and several others injured.
On Saturday Special police units joined the hunt for an unknown man suspected of carrying out a stabbing attack at the event in the city of Solingen, killing three people and wounding at least eight others, four of them seriously.
Police arrested a 15-year-old boy early on Saturday suspected of knowing about the planned attack and not informing authorities, but he was not the attacker, authorities said.
Markus Caspers, from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutor’s office, told a news conference today that authorities are yet to locate the perpetrator.
“So far we have not been able to identify a motive, but looking at the overall circumstances, we cannot rule out” the possibility of terrorism, Mr Caspers said, without offering further details.
The three people killed were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman, according to authorities. Police alleged the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for the throats of his victims.
Thorsten Fleiss from the German police, who was the chief of operations on Friday, said various searches and investigations are being conducted in the entire state of North Rhine Westphalia that will continue throughout the day.
He said bringing together available evidence and testimony from witnesses in order to come up with a overall picture is a “big challenge”.
Residents have been warned to remain vigilant even as wellwishers started to leave flowers at the scene. Authorities set up an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the incident.
Police were alerted after 9.30pm on Friday to an unknown attacker having wounded a number of people with a knife on the Fronhof, a central square.
Authorities said they believe the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker and provided no information about the victims’ identities.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday near the scene of the attack, Solingen mayor Tim Kurzbach said: “Last night our hearts were torn apart. We in Solingen are full of horror and grief. What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep,” he added.
The Festival of Diversity, marking the city’s 650th anniversary, began on Friday and had been scheduled to run until Sunday, with attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics across several stages in central streets.
The attack is believed to have taken place in the crowd in front of one stage. Hours after the incident, the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators scoured the cordoned-off square for clues.
Philipp Muller, one of the festival organisers, appeared on stage on Friday and urged attendees to “go calmly, please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught”.
The rest of the festival was cancelled in the wake of the attack.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the perpetrator must be caught quickly and face the full force of the law.
“The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly,” Mr Scholz wrote on X today. “An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen’s mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families.”
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to Mr Kurzbach and said in a statement that the “heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country.
“We mourn those killed and worry about those injured and I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart,” he said, adding: “The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. Let’s stand together — against hatred and violence.”
There has been concern about increased knife violence in Germany, and interior minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to six centimetres to be carried in public, rather than the 12 centimetres that is currently allowed.
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