SOLINGEN, Germany – A stabbing rampage that left three dead and eight others wounded at a festival in the western German city of Solingen is being treated as a “possible act of terrorism,” an official stated on Saturday, as authorities continue the search for the unidentified attacker.
Police reported detaining a 15-year-old individual and are investigating a possible connection to the attacker, who remains at large.
During a news conference, Markus Caspers, an official with the Duesseldorf public prosecutor’s office, stated that “terrorism” could not be ruled out, as there is currently no known motive and the victims appear unrelated.
Police official Thorsten Fleiss confirmed that the assailant specifically targeted his victims’ throats.
“The investigation and search for potential accomplices and motives are fully underway,” police said in a statement.
The attack occurred late Friday, with the suspect stabbing multiple people, though the motive remains unclear.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized on X that “the perpetrator must be swiftly captured and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser assured that security forces are making every effort to apprehend the suspect and uncover the background of the attack at Fronhof Square, where live bands were performing.
The city of Solingen was celebrating its 650th anniversary in North Rhine-Westphalia, near the Dutch border, when the tragic incident took place.
On Saturday, police cordoned off the square in Solingen, while mourners left candles and flowers outside the barriers.
“We are overwhelmed with shock and grief,” Solingen Mayor Tim-Oliver Kurzbach told reporters that morning.
German musician Topic, who was performing on a nearby stage when the attack occurred, shared that he was informed of the situation but was asked to continue playing to “avoid causing a mass panic.” He later stopped performing when the situation escalated and, with the attacker still at large, took shelter in a nearby store as police helicopters circled overhead, he recounted on Instagram.
The remainder of the weekend festival has been canceled by authorities.
Fatal stabbings and shootings are relatively rare in Germany. Earlier this month, the government announced plans to tighten regulations on knives in public by reducing the maximum legal blade length.
In June, a 29-year-old police officer was fatally stabbed in Mannheim during an attack at a right-wing demonstration. Another stabbing incident on a train in 2021 left several injured.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister, Herbert Reul, visited the scene early Saturday. He described the attack as a deliberate act against human life but refrained from speculating on the motive.
Solingen, a city of around 165,000 people, is renowned for its knife-making industry.