SOLINGEN, GERMANY – A knife-wielding attacker fatally stabbed three people and left at least five others seriously injured late Friday during a festival in the western German city of Solingen, authorities reported.
Witnesses alerted police around 9:30 p.m., describing an unknown assailant indiscriminately attacking people with a knife at the central Fronhof Square. According to police, the perpetrator remains at large, with only limited information currently available about him.
Authorities suspect the stabbings were the actions of a lone attacker.
One of the festival organizers, Philipp Müller, took to the stage, urging attendees to “remain calm and stay vigilant, as the perpetrator is still at large.” He confirmed that numerous people had been injured by “a knifeman.”
At least one helicopter was seen overhead while numerous police and emergency vehicles, with flashing blue lights, filled the streets, which had been cordoned off. Authorities initially reported five people seriously injured, though Herbert Reul, the region’s top security official, later updated the figure to six during his visit to the scene early Saturday.
“None of us knows why this happened,” said Reul, the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia. “I cannot comment on the motive at this time, and the identity of the attacker remains unclear,” he added, noting that the assailant fled the scene “relatively quickly.”
Mayor Tim Kurzbach expressed his sorrow in a Facebook post, writing, “This evening, Solingen is in shock. We gathered to celebrate our city’s anniversary, but instead, we are now mourning the dead and injured.”
The attack took place in a central square in Solingen, Germany, during a festival celebrating the town’s 650th anniversary.CreditCredit…Getty Images
“It breaks my heart that such an attack could occur in our city,” he added.
Local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt quoted its reporter, Celine Derikartz, who was covering the festival, describing the atmosphere as “eerie.” She noted that what had been a festive gathering turned to shock within minutes, with festivalgoers left in tears.
The “Festival of Diversity,” celebrating Solingen’s 650th anniversary, kicked off on Friday and was scheduled to continue through Sunday. The event featured multiple stages throughout the city center, offering live music, cabaret, acrobatics, and other attractions.
However, following the tragic attack, the remainder of the festival has been canceled. Solingen, a city of about 160,000 residents, is located near the larger cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf.
The incident comes amid growing concerns over the rise in knife-related violence in Germany. In May, a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant on members of a group opposing “political Islam” resulted in the death of a police officer.
Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, has since proposed stricter weapons regulations, advocating for a reduction in the maximum blade length permitted in public from 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) to 6 centimeters (nearly 2.4 inches).
