Police in Germany are searching for an unidentified suspect behind a mass stabbing at a festival in the western city of Solingen in which three people were killed. The slain victims included one woman and two men. Police also set up an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the attack.
Later on Saturday, police said a year-old boy was detained in connection to the stabbing, but he was not the attacker. Markus Caspers, an official from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutors office, told a news conference on Saturday that authorities have not found the perpetrator. At about pm GMT on Friday, an unidentified man attacked multiple people with a knife, police said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to the fullest extent of the law. The attack occurred at the Festival of Diversity in Solingen, which is located in North Rhine-Westphalia state, bordering the Netherlands. The events were supposed to run through Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics. Solingen has about , residents and is located near the larger cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf.
Police on Saturday warned residents who observe anything suspicious not to act on their own initiative but to call the police emergency number. Fatal stabbings and shootings in Germany are relatively uncommon. A police officer was killed and five people were wounded in a knife attack at a far-right rally in the city of Mannheim in May. Faeser recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6cm 2.
There are six Bundesliga matches and four second division games scheduled. Two of the games β one in Dortmund and another in Cologne β are within 60km 37 miles of Solingen. Published On 23 Aug 23 Aug Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Southport stabbing: Why are knife crimes on the rise in the UK?
