German police are continuing an investigation into a knife attacker who killed at least three people at a crowded festival Special units on Saturday joined the search for the unknown knifeman who cut the throats of revellers in the western German city of Solingen Police say three people were killed and at least four were seriously wounded in an attack Friday at a festival in the western German city of Solingen People lay flowers near the scene of a knife attack in Solingen city center after three people were killed and at least eight people were wounded Friday night at the festival Police cars sit at a cordon early Saturday after several people were killed and injured in an attack at the Solingen’s 650th anniversary celebrations late Friday Police officers stand at a cordon in the city center in the early morning in Solingen following Friday’s deadly attack at the city’s 650th anniversary celebrations Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser Minister of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia speak at a press conference following the Friday attack at the festival Emergency services tents stand in front of the stage in Solingen city center after three people were killed and at least eight people were wounded in a knife attack Friday night at the festival after multiple people were killed and injured during an attack late Friday at the 650th anniversary celebrations of the city of Solingen Police and ambulances near the scene where people were killed and injured in an attack at a festival in Solingen Emergency vehicles near the scene where people were killed and injured in an attack at a festival in Solingen Police and deployed near the scene where people were killed and injured in an attack at a festival in Solingen Special police forces carry out an operation at a refugee shelter in Solingen during an investigation into a fatal knife attack at the city’s 650th anniversary celebrations a man concealed behind police officers turns himself in to the police on the street and claims to be the perpetrator of the attack at a festival in Solingen The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that as a “soldier of the Islamic State” he carried out the assaults Friday night “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” The IS claim couldn’t immediately be verified It provided no evidence for its assertions the internal affairs minister of North Rhein Westphalia state said early Sunday “We have been following a hot lead all day,” Herbert Reul told “Tagesschau,” the news program of the German public television network ARD “The person we have been searching for all day has been detained a short while ago.” Reul said police not only had “clues” but also collected “pieces of evidence.” Officials earlier said a 15-year-old boy was arrested early Saturday on suspicion he knew about the planned attack and failed to inform authorities Two female witnesses told police they overheard the boy and an unknown person before the attack speaking about intentions that corresponded to the bloodshed senior public prosecutor from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutors office said at a news conference Saturday that authorities could not yet speak on the attacker’s motivation “So far we have not been able to identify a motive we cannot rule out” the possibility of terrorism The three people who died were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims’ throats “We are seeing the first signs of a new wave of terrorist attacks,” said Peter Neumann a professor of security studies at King’s College in London IS “is trying to capitalize on the huge mobilization resulting from Hamas’ terror offensive on 7 October 2023 even though strictly speaking it had nothing to do with it,” he said “The kind of attack we saw in Solingen is exactly the kind of attack that (IS) is trying to inspire It’s calling on people over the internet to attack ‘unbelievers’ using simple methods it is trying to create an impression that (the Islamic State group) is everywhere and could strike anytime,” Neumann told The Associated Press said officers were conducting searches and investigations in the entire state of North Rhine Westphalia but added he was unable to confirm whether any of them were used during the attack Police warned people to stay vigilant even as well wishers started to leave flowers at the scene Authorities established an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the attack Churches in Solingen opened their doors to offer a space for prayer and emergency pastoral care German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser visited the city Saturday evening and said the government would do everything possible to support the people of Solingen “We will not allow that such an awful attack divides our society,” she said appearing alongside state Minister-President Hendrik Wüst and Reul Wüst described the attack as “an act of terror against the security and freedom of this country.” But Faeser had not classified it as a “terror attack.” People alerted police shortly after 9:30 p.m Friday that a man had assaulted several people with a knife on the city’s central square a city of about 160,000 residents near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf was holding a “Festival of Diversity” to mark its 650th anniversary It began Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music The attack took place in the crowd in front of one stage the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators looked for clues in the cordoned-off square We in Solingen are full of horror and grief What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep,” the mayor of Solingen German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the perpetrator must be punished with the full force of the law “The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly An attacker has brutally killed several people We mourn the victims and stand by their families,” Scholz said Saturday on the social media platform X German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to the mayor Saturday morning “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,” Steinmeier said in a statement Germany — A 26-year-old Syrian asylum-seeker turned himself in to police saying he was responsible for the Solingen knife attack that left three dead and eight wounded at a festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary Duesseldorf police said in a joint statement with the prosecutor’s office that the man “stated that he was responsible for the attack.” “This person’s involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated," the statement said The suspect is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in Germany On Saturday the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that he carried out the assaults Friday night “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” The claim couldn’t be independently verified The attack comes amid debate over immigration ahead of regional elections next Sunday in Germany's Saxony and Thueringia regions where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed that the country would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left one police officer dead and four more people injured The attack raised fears that Europe could face another wave of terror attacks a synagogue in France was targeted in an arson attack French police said they made an arrest early Sunday Friday's attack plunged the city of Solingen into shock and grief A city of about 160,000 residents near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf Solingen was holding a “Festival of Diversity” to celebrate its anniversary The festival began Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday The attack took place in front of one stage The festival was canceled as police looked for clues in the cordoned-off square Instead residents gathered to mourn the dead and injured placing flowers and notes near the scene of the attack “Warum?” asked one sign placed amid candles and teddy bears Among those asking themselves the question was 62-year-old Cord Boetther “Why does something like this have to be done It’s incomprehensible and it hurts,” Boetther said Officials had earlier said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion he knew about the planned attack and failed to inform authorities local time Friday that a man had assaulted several people with a knife on the city’s central square The three people killed were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman The IS militant group declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria about a decade ago but now holds no control over any land and has lost many prominent leaders The group is mostly out of global news headlines it continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world including lethal operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that killed dozens of people Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq still carry out attacks on government forces in both countries as well as U.S.-backed Syrian fighters Become an NPR sponsor Intelbrief / Solingen Stabbing Ignites Fears of Resurgent Jihadism Targeting Germany A brutal knife attack last Friday in Solingen, a German city with a population of just over 160,000, left three people dead and eight others injured. The tragedy unfolded during the "Festival of Diversity" in Solingen's central square, where thousands had gathered to celebrate the city’s 650th anniversary. The following day, Islamic State claimed responsibility on its news site Amaq stating that the perpetrator specifically targeted Christians and was a "soldier of the Islamic State" seeking to "avenge Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere." Initial investigations led to the arrest of a 15-year-old boy who allegedly had prior knowledge of the attack and was seen speaking with the perpetrator before the stabbings identified only as Issa Al H due to German privacy laws who had applied for asylum in Germany and was living in a refugee house in Solingen reportedly acted out of "radical Islamist convictions" and aimed to kill as many “non-believers” as possible He targeted victims by repeatedly stabbing them in the neck The perpetrator had been denied asylum and was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria although he found a way to remain in the country a fact that will be under increasing scrutiny as German politicians promise to toughen deportation measures These incidents have reignited concerns about jihadist terrorism particularly as groups like Islamic State increasingly leverage social media to radicalize so-called lone-wolf actors and extend their reach beyond traditional strongholds According to Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), part of Islamic State’s social media strategy has involved exploiting global political tensions, particularly violence against Palestinians during the Israel-Gaza conflict and the 2023 Quran burnings in various Scandinavian countries to reinforce a "West versus Islam" narrative the BfV highlights how the group has capitalized on these political events to reorganize and recruit new members leveraging heightened emotions to incite violence and disseminate extremist rhetoric the rise in Islamist extremist activity is not occurring in isolation As Islamist extremists become increasingly motivated by these political events leading experts to warn of "reciprocal radicalization" — a dangerous cycle where seemingly opposing extremist ideologies mutually reinforce and escalate one another While empirical evidence detailing the exact extent to which extremist groups escalate in direct response to one another remains limited experts caution that views on both extremes appear to be hardening Notably, in the wake of the Solingen attack, far-right leaders in Germany have been quick to use the incident, particularly the fact that the attacker was an asylum seeker, to bolster the narrative that Muslim immigrants pose a significant threat. Shortly after news of the stabbing surfaced, Björn Höcke, a prominent figure in the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party shared a video showing emergency vehicles at the scene urging Germans to "free" themselves from "multiculturalization." The AfD has made immigration and refugee resettlement a fixture of their political platform and earlier this year it was revealed that party members alongside other prominent far-right figures including extremist Martin Sellner met to discuss the forcible deportation of millions of immigrants from Germany leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party echoed these sentiments after it was confirmed that the suspect was a Syrian national calling for an immediate halt to Germany's acceptance of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan media coverage of the incident has been flooded with comments blaming the violence on Germany's perceived lenient immigration policies This response mirrors recent events in the United Kingdom where the stabbing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in August ignited violent right-wing riots and set fire to two hotels housing asylum seekers after false rumors spread that the attacker was a Muslim immigrant The riots continued even after the rumor of the perpetrator’s background where debunked various Muslim preachers across the United Kingdom took to social media to publicly accuse those who participated in the riots of being "Zionists" and puppets of the Israeli government further deepening mutual anger and distrust Amid an already fraught political climate in Germany where debates over immigration dominate public discourse the Solingen attack — occurring just one week before crucial state elections — has further deepened polarization and stoked public fears the incident provides an opportunity for the AfD to not only link the violence with its anti-immigrant stance but also to recalibrate its image after mass protests in Germany earlier this year in opposition to the party’s participation in the meeting with Sellner and other far-right figures As the party has shown its adeptness at capitalizing on such moments prognostications that its connections to the broader European far-right would lead to diminished political support or electoral outcomes seem premature the increasing societal polarization is further amplified by the growing use of social media by both Islamist and far-right extremists to spread their divisive rhetoric The situation is compounded as some of this rhetoric is mainstreamed into public discourse by political parties and politicians Europe must be prepared to confront these dual knowing that failure to do so could potentially lead to an even broader cycle of violence © Copyright 2025 The Soufan Center • All rights reserved • The Soufan Center is a 501c3 non-profit organization You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Coalition government hopes tough action will prevent far-right victories in forthcoming state elections Germany’s fractious coalition government has announced a hard-fought compromise on changes to weapons laws and asylum rules designed to prevent Islamist attacks such as last Friday’s mass stabbing that left three people dead Three days before key state elections in which each of the ruling parties risk heavy losses to the far right, government ministers said the knife rampage allegedly by a Syrian asylum seeker at a street festival in the western city of Solingen had exposed critical weaknesses in the country’s immigration and security policy. “The Solingen attack shook us to our core and we said that we as a government would react to it with tough measures,” said the interior minister, Nancy Faeser, a Social Democrat. Read moreShe said the government would ban the carrying of knives at public events including street festivals like the scene of the Solingen attack and on long-distance public transportation such as trains and buses Federal police will be given the power to impose spot checks for weapons including long knives in “heavy crime” areas such as railway stations Police officers will be able to use stun guns to stop violent suspects The measures also call for the swifter deportation of refused asylum seekers and the removal of financial benefits for those who have already been registered in another EU member country, in a policy the mass-market tabloid Bild called “bed, bread, soap” referring to the bare-minimum provisions that will be accorded Rights groups including Pro Asyl criticised the proposal as “unconstitutional” and said “social welfare payments must not be cut as a purported deterrent” Faeser said: “No one will go hungry or sleep on the street in Germany.” The suspect in Solingen who allegedly killed three and injured eight had been due to be returned to Bulgaria last year but was not at his shelter when he was to be picked up Asylum seekers will also be barred from taking holidays in their countries of origin said this stood in “clear contradiction to the claim their home countries are not safe” Only in rare cases would such travel be allowed The penalty for violations would be the loss of asylum status Security authorities will be granted broader rights to use biometric data including facial recognition found online to better determine the identity of criminal suspects also using information compiled about asylum seekers Buschmann said “tens of thousands” of asylum seekers in Germany could not be sent home or to the EU country where they were registered “simply because they could not be located” at the time of a scheduled deportation The government agreed to step up the use of artificial intelligence to fight online Islamist propaganda which Buschmann said was a prime driver of radicalisation of migrants Free weekly newsletterThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment Noting the charged atmosphere around migration and security issues since last week’s attack a minister in the economy ministry representing the Greens at the news conference said the coalition wanted to focus on integrating foreign citizens and preventing extremism Hajduk said the government’s internal debate had been “guided by the principle that the basic right to asylum in our country must be protected” She said it was “important to push back against the general suspicion against people due to their background” But she said “this horrible attack showed us that it is crucial” to take action to bolster security The coalition parties said they would meet the conservative opposition party the Christian Democrats (CDU) and representatives of Germany’s 16 federal states early next week to agree further changes who is expected to challenge the chancellor accused him of “losing control of his own country” as he demanded a range of tough measures against asylum seekers Last week’s attack has piled pressure on Scholz’s often hamstrung government to address some of the country’s thorniest policy challenges before pivotal regional elections in eastern Germany, two of which will be held on Sunday In each of the state polls, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party which has seized on the Solingen rampage as an example of the government’s failings which is also highly critical of Germany’s migration policies is expected to gain a vote share in the double digits possibly forcing some mainstream parties below the 5% hurdle needed for representation in state parliament German police have arrested a 26-year-old Syrian man after the brutal knife attack in the western city of Solingen “The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation,” the officials said The killings were “in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere,” Islamic State said, according to the reports It was not clear how close the link was between the attacker and Islamic State interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state declined to say whether German authorities believed the Islamic State statement was authentic The suspect is affiliated with a home for refugees in Solingen that had been searched on Saturday The Serbian leader had planned to meet several senior Republican Party officials and also hoped to see U.S officials met in Oman for negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program “Most of the major points are agreed to,” Trump said hours after special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow Norris was reportedly detained on charges that include suspicion of rape and child sex offenses German police said early Sunday that a 26-year-old man turned himself in claiming to be behind the deadly Solingen knife attack that left three dead and eight wounded at a festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary Düsseldorf police said in a joint statement with the prosecutor’s office that the man “stated that he was responsible for the attack,” adding he had been arrested before The alleged perpetrator of the knife attack in Solingen is escorted from a helicopter in Karlsruhe German police say a 26-year-old man has turned himself in saying he was responsible for the deadly Solingen knife attack that left three dead and eight wounded at a festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary The alleged perpetrator of the knife attack in Solingen is escorted to a police car in Karlsruhe A helicopter takes off from the courtyard of a government center transporting the alleged perpetrator of the knife attack in Solingen in Karlsruhe A judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsrue ordered the suspect held on Sunday pending further investigation After the fatal knife attack on Friday at the Solingen city festival people lay flowers near the scene of the crime and light candles in memory of the victims in Solingen Flowers and candles are placed in Solingen Emergency vehicles and police officers stand at a cordon in the city center of Solingen near the scene of Friday’s deadly attack at the city’s 650th anniversary celebrations in the city center of Solingen Police emergency vehicles stand at a cordon in the city center of Solingen A judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe ordered 26-year-old Issa Al H held pending further investigation and a possible indictment after federal prosecutors said that he shared the radical ideology of the Islamic State extremist group — and was acting on those beliefs when he stabbed his victims repeatedly from behind in the head and upper body The ruling came after the suspect turned himself in saying that he was responsible for the attack He is also suspected of attempted murder and serious bodily injury His last name wasn’t released in line with German privacy rules was taken Sunday from the police station in Solingen for the initial court appearance He “shares the ideology of the foreign terrorist organization Islamic State” and on the basis of his “radical Islamic convictions” decided “to kill the largest possible number of those he considers unbelievers” at the festival the Office of the Federal Prosecutor said in a statement that his asylum claim had been denied and that he was to have been deported last year The attack comes amid debate over immigration before regional elections on Sept 1 in Germany’s Saxony and Thuringia regions where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed that the country would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left one police officer dead and four other people injured Friday’s attack plunged the city of Solingen into shock and grief Police said that the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims’ throats was canceled as police looked for clues in the cordoned-off square residents gathered to mourn the dead and injured “Warum?” — meaning “why” — asked one sign placed amid candles and teddy bears “Why does something like this have to happen IS declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria about a decade ago Police have made a third arrest during search for male attacker after three killed and eight injured at a festival in west German city A man suspected of killing three and injuring eight more in the city of Solingen was arrested late on Saturday, according to regional interior minister Herbert Reul, following Friday night’s attack at a festival. North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister, Herbert Reul, told the ARD broadcaster that authorities spent the day following a “hot lead” that led to the latest arrest, the third police have made. Police had previously made two arrests that were likely not the perpetrator, Reul said. “The real suspect is the one that we’ve arrested just now,” he said. The individual was being questioned and evidence was seized, he said. Police declined to immediately comment. Terrorism has not been ruled out as a motive. The prosecutor Markus Caspers said police were looking at terror as a possibility, saying there was no other obvious motive and that the alleged attacker appeared to be unknown to the victims. The Islamic State (IS) group on Saturday claimed responsibility for the Solingen stabbings but did not immediately provide any evidence for its assertion. Accounts claiming to speak for IS have falsely claimed responsibility for atrocities in the past. Earlier, police detained a 15-year-old at his parents’ home in the early hours of Saturday, which prosecutors said was on suspicion of failing to report a crime. Public prosecutor Markus Caspers said of the 15-year-old that he was alleged to have spoken to the perpetrator “shortly before the crime”. A second arrest was made following a police operation at a home for refugees in Solingen, a police spokesperson said. They said they could not provide any more details on the individual or the connection to the alleged incident. Police have found at least one weapon that may have been used in the alleged assault and are analysing it for DNA traces. They said they had had no indication in the run-up to the festival that there was a security threat. Three people – two men, aged 67 and 56, and a woman, 56 – were killed on Friday night during a festival of diversity to mark the city of Solingen’s 650th anniversary, which began on Friday and was supposed to run through to Sunday. Eight others were injured, of whom four are fighting for their lives, police said. local ministry saysThe man suspected of the stabbing in Solingen turned himself in to the police a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia told the news agency DPA approached the officers shortly after 11 p.m (2100 GMT) and said: "I'm the one you're looking for..."  He had reportedly been hiding in a backyard since the crime German news magazine Spiegel reported that the suspect is a 26-year-old Syrian who came to Germany in 2022 and applied for asylum in Bielefeld.  Because he came from a country in civil war 'IS' claims responsibility for Solingen knife attackTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video local minister saysPolice have arrested a main suspect following the knife attack in Solingen Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia The minister spoke of a "real suspect" who police had been looking for all day after a third person had been arrested in connection with the incident not the ones we really suspected," said Reul with regard to the two previous arrests "I myself am a bit relieved at the moment," the minister added "I can only tell you that it is now more than a hunch Not only did we have a lead on this person The arrested suspect's clothes were dirty and covered in blood the German news magazine Der Spiegel quoted security sources as saying Police arrest knife attack suspect: DW's Lewis SandersTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 08/24/2024August 24, 2024German politicians call for stricter weapons laws after Solingen attackFollowing the knife attack in Solingen, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has spoken out in favor of stricter laws on weapons.  "We don't know whether the terrible crime in Solingen could have been prevented with stricter laws," Habeck said but added that some tightening of weapons restrictions is simply right and necessary "More weapons-free zones and stricter weapons laws — nobody in Germany needs cutting and stabbing weapons in public We are no longer living in the Middle Ages," Habeck said is among several German political leaders who have urged tighter weapons rules in the wake of the attack Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) has also called for significantly stricter weapons laws Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, from the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), said ministers will have to discuss new laws that "can further advance the fight against this type of knife crime." His party has previously opposed restrictions put forward by its coalition partner. 2024VIDEO: Police raid refugee center in search for suspectThe so-called "Islamic State" has claimed responsibility for a knife attack at a diversity festival in the western German city of Solingen The stabbing left three dead and eight injured some of whom are still fighting for their lives DW's Aaron Tilton reports from Solingen.  Police raid refugee center for knife stabbing suspectTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 2024German police arrest person in refugee homeOne person was arrested in a refugee center in Solingen on Saturday evening a day after the stabbing rampage that left three people dead and five injured A police spokesman told the DPA news agency that investigations were continuing Whether the detainee is suspected of being the attacker authorities did not say. Links to the attack are still being investigated police detained a 15-year-old who allegedly had prior knowledge of the attack Police in Solingen arrest suspect at asylum-seekers' homeTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 08/24/2024August 24, 2024Prayer service held in Solingen for knife attack victimsHundreds of people joined the prayer service in downtown Solingen on Saturday eveningImage: Henning Kaiser/dpa/picture allianceA day after the deadly knife attack in Solingen, hundreds of people joined an outdoor prayer service in the city center as a mark of respect for the victims and their relatives. Many mourners arrived at the service with flowers and candles in memory of the three people killed and eight wounded in Friday evening's attack. People had laid down club scarves, cuddly toys, letters and other messages of solidarity at the site of the attack. "The city is a different place today than it was yesterday," said Michael Mohr, a Catholic priest who serves as deacon for the city. Ilka Werner, a leader of the local Protestant Christian church in Solingen, also emphasized the need to offer comfort to the community. Churches in Solingen have opened their doors following the attack to offer a space for prayer and emergency pastoral care. 08/24/2024August 24, 2024'Islamic State' group claims responsibility for Solingen knife attackThe militant  "Islamic State" (IS) group claimed responsibility for the deadly knife attack in the western German city of Solingen on Friday evening. In a statement on social media, IS' Amaq media wing said the knifeman was a "soldier of the Islamic State" who targeted a "Christian gathering" in what it said was "revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere." These claims coud not be independently verified. Three people were killed in the stabbing and eight others were wounded, including four seriously. "This attack has hit our country in the heart," state premier Hendrik Wüst said during a visit to the western German city on Saturday "This attack was intended to spread terror terror among people who are celebrating together." Speculation grows over motive for Solingen knife attackTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Wüst said Germans will not "let themselves be shaken by terror and hatred," he added, repeating calls by other German politicians for the perpetrator to be brought to justice. Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who also visited Solingen on Saturday, said the authorities were doing everything they can to track down the attacker. However, she stopped short of designating the stabbings as a terror attack. Markus Caspers, from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutor's office, told a news conference earlier that investigators have not so far identified a motive. "But looking at the overall circumstances, we cannot rule out" the possibility of terrorism, Caspers said. 2024German police set up tipoff portal for clues to Solingen knife attackerGerman officials set up a tip-off web portal for any information about the Solingen knife attacker who was still at large as of early Saturday evening Local police chief Thorsten Fleiss said that "extensive" material had already been received from the public in connection with the case.  Investigators are still evaluating possible evidence "so at the moment we can't publish a specific picture of the perpetrator because we can't yet attribute it specifically," he added Fleiss said there is not yet a clear known image to identify the attacker Police won't rule out terrorist motive: DW's Thomas SparrowTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video He was unable to confirm reports that the murder weapon had been discovered in a rubbish bin in the city center by investigators "which we will now examine individually" to determine if any of them can be linked with the attack Fleiss added that officers are conducting searches across Germany's western state of North Rhine Westphalia, where Solingen is located. 2024Detained 15-year-old may have failed to report planned crimesHours after a person was detained in connection with the Solingen attack authorities clarified that the person in custody was a 15-year-old who may have had knowledge about the attack before it took place an unknown person allegedly spoke with the teenager shortly before the attack about intentions that would match the execution of the crime," said senior public prosecutor Markus Caspers Solingen knife attack: Police question 15-year-oldTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video German authorities are currently investigating if the teenager was connected to the crime. They said he may be arrested for failing to report the plot. 08/24/2024August 24, 2024Authorities say terrorism link 'cannot be ruled out'German authorities have yet to determine the motive for the Solingen attack, but also "cannot rule out" terrorism, according to the prosecutor general investigating the case, Markus Caspers. Speaking in a press conference on Saturday, Caspers added that authorities were investigating three counts of murder and eight counts of severe bodily harm.  “Based on the overall circumstances, we assume that the initial suspicion of a terrorist-motivated act cannot be ruled out,” he said. Police announced they had arrested a 15-year-old early in the morning for questioning. Caspers said the suspect is believed to have talked to the detained teenager about the potential reasons for the attack. 08/24/2024August 24, 2024German police detain person potentially connected to the stabbingsGerman authorities have now detained one person over the Solingen knife attack. Police are still investigating if the suspect was connected to the stabbing, they said. "Various police measures, including searches at various locations, are being carried out in parallel," Düsseldorf police said in a statement. "Investigations and searches for possible further perpetrators and reasons for the offense are in full swing." 2024German special police units involved in manhunt following attackSpecial police units have joined in the search for the man who stabbed three people and injured eight others at a festival in the western German city of Solingen.   "The police are currently conducting a large-scale search for the perpetrator," police said in a statement "Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned," they said Shock as three people killed in Solingen knife attackTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Police have so far given no indication that the identity of the attacker has been established, but have set up an online portal where eyewitnesses can upload footage and information relevant to the incident. No motive for the crime has yet been given by police, who have said only that the attacker appeared to have acted deliberately. 08/24/2024August 24, 2024Leading Green politicians voice condolences, call for fast arrestGerman Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from the Green Party have both expressed their sorrow at the Solingen attack "Violence against people who just want to celebrate happily is something to be condemned," Habeck He wished strength and comfort to the loved ones of those who died in the attack and a good recovery to those who were wounded "It is good that the police are now making every effort to find the perpetrator as fast as possible," he added that her thoughts were with the families and friends of the victims "My thanks go to the forces of law and order who are flat out looking for the perpetrator," she wrote Police say three people were killed and four seriously wounded in an attack Friday at a festival in the western German city of Solingen Witnesses alerted police shortly after 9:30 p.m to an unknown attacker having wounded several people indiscriminately with a knife on a central square Police said the perpetrator was on the run and they had only very little information on the man so far They said they believe the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker appeared on stage and asked festivalgoers to “go calmly; please keep your eyes open because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught.” He said many people had been wounded by “a knifeman.” At least one helicopter was seen in the air while many police and emergency vehicles with flashing blue lights were on the road and several streets were closed off Police put the number of seriously injured at five gave a figure of six as he visited the scene in the early hours of Saturday “None of us knows why” the attack took place who is the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state “I can’t say anything about the motive now” and it isn’t clear who the assailant was but the attacker left the scene “relatively quickly.” Mayor Tim Kurzbach said in a Facebook post We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now have dead and wounded to lament.” “It breaks my heart that an attack on our city happened,” he added Local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt quoted Celine Derikartz as saying that “the atmosphere is spooky.” She said a party atmosphere had turned to shock within minutes and she saw festivalgoers weeping The “Festival of Diversity,” marking the city’s 650th anniversary began Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday The city canceled the rest of the festival after the attack Solingen has about 160,000 residents and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf There has been concern about an increase in knife violence in Germany recently Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz lays a flower at a church The crime scene of Friday’s deadly attack at the city’s 650th anniversary celebrations is cleaned up early in the morning by cleaning staff in Solingen Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits the scene of a knife attack Deputy Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia lay flowers Deputy Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia speaking after he joined regional officials in laying a white rose at a makeshift memorial in the western city of Solingen said he was “furious and angry” about the attack The 26-year-old had had his asylum application rejected and was supposed to be deported last year to Bulgaria but that failed because he disappeared for a time “We must do everything to ensure that such things never happen in our country He said that would include toughening knife laws in particular “and this should and will happen very quickly.” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser earlier this month proposed allowing only knives with a blade measuring up to 6 centimeters (nearly 2.4 inches) to be carried in public rather than the length of 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) that is allowed now “We will have to do everything so that those who aren’t allowed to stay in Germany are sent back and deported,” he said adding that “we have massively expanded the possibilities to carry out such deportations.” Scholz said there had been a 30% increase in deportations this year already but “we will look very closely at how we can contribute to raising these figures even further.” He said measures including border checks on Germany’s eastern frontiers have reduced the number of migrants arriving “irregularly,” but there’s room for improvement there too Germany does not currently carry out deportations to those countries The government has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban in Kabul and so far considers the security situation in Syria too fragile to allow deportations there But Scholz said in June that his government was working on solutions to enable the deportation of convicted Afghans to Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and there has been discussion in Germany about allowing deportations to Syria Critics say there has been little movement since Interior Ministry spokesperson Sonja Kock said Monday the government is still working “intensively” on that the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state and a member of Germany’s mainstream conservative opposition which has long criticized the government on migration He said was “thankful” that more action had been announced but “announcements alone won’t be enough.” the leader of Wüst’s Christian Democratic Union complained on ARD television Sunday evening that “we have been discussing the consequences of Mannheim for three months .. “We have people in Germany we don’t want to have here and we must ensure that we don’t have even more coming,” Merz said arguing that such migrants should be turned back at the country’s borders Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker appears before a judge in Karlsruhe after attack in which three people died Solingen stabbings: what we know so far say prosecutorsThis article is more than 8 months oldIssa Al H Solingen stabbings: what we know so far Prosecutors have said the suspect arrested over a stabbing rampage in the western German city of Solingen shares the ideology of the Islamic State group and was acting on those beliefs when he attacked was identified by federal prosecutors as Issa Al H with his last name omitted in line with German privacy laws A judge at the federal court of justice in Karlsruhe ordered that he be held on suspicion of murder and membership of a terrorist organisation in connection with the knife attack on Friday which left three dead and eight wounded at a festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary In a statement the Office of the Federal Prosecutor said the suspect decided “to kill the largest possible number of those he considers unbelievers” at the festival on the basis of his “radical Islamic convictions” Islamic State on Saturday claimed responsibility for the attack without providing any evidence Wearing handcuffs and leg shackles, the suspect was taken on Sunday from the police station in Solingen to a first appearance before in court. He had applied for asylum in Germany The frenzied attack unfolded over a few minutes on Friday evening at a festival of diversity in Solingen a city of 160,000 people near Cologne and Düsseldorf Three people from the region – one woman and two men – were killed and eight were injured 1:29Suspect in German stabbing attack brought to Karlruhe prosecutor's office – video Citing officials the Associated Press reported that a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion that he knew about the planned attack and failed to inform authorities The attack is already stirring debate about Germany’s asylum policy ahead of regional elections in Saxony and Thuringia on 1 September anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland is expected to do well The leader of the centre-right CDU opposition party Friedrich Merz said Germany should stop admitting further refugees from Syria and Afghanistan in a letter on his website entitled “enough is enough” who has been under pressure to tackle a rise in knife violence in cities said on Saturday he was “shocked” by the “terrible event” and stood with the terrorised city in mourning the victims which was supposed to run through to Sunday as were weekend festivities in nearby towns said in a post on Instagram he was performing on the stage when security personnel approached him and informed him of the attack He was asked to continue his set “to avoid causing a mass panic” “So I kept playing even though it was incredibly hard.” He said he was told to stop 10-15 minutes later and “since the attacker was still on the run we hid in a nearby store while police helicopters circled above us” “I still can’t believe it … this was supposed to be a free festival for everyone Really close friends of mine were there with their small kids,” he said in a video recorded in his childhood bedroom “What’s happening to this world … my thoughts are with all the victims.” Germany’s federal criminal police office has said there have been about a dozen Islamist-motivated attacks since 2000 when a Tunisian man drove a lorry into a Christmas market in Berlin Germany — The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for a knife attack in Solingen Germany that killed three people and wounded eight others at a crowded festival marking the city's 650th anniversary The group said Saturday on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and is a “soldier of the Islamic State” who carried out the assaults Friday night “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” The IS claim couldn't immediately be verified No evidence for the group's assertions was provided the state internal affairs minister of North Rhein Westphalia said early Sunday “We have been following a hot lead all day,” Herbert Reul told Tagesschau the news program of the German public television network ARD “The person we have been searching for all day has been detained a short while ago,” he said Reul said that police not only have “clues” but also have collected “pieces of evidence.” Officials earlier said a 15-year-old boy was arrested early Saturday Police said he was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and failing to inform authorities told a news conference earlier Saturday that authorities have not found the perpetrator Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims' throats who was the chief of police operations on Friday night said that police were conducting various searches and investigations in the entire state of North Rhine Westphalia that will continue throughout the day He said that it is a “big challenge” to bring together available evidence and testimony from witnesses in order to come up with a overall picture Fleiss also said that police have found several knives but added that he was unable to confirm whether any of them have been used as weapon by the perpetrator during the attack Churches in Solingen have opened their doors to offer a space for prayer and emergency pastoral care German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser paid a visit to Solingen on Saturday evening She said that the government would do everything possible to support the city and the people Solingen “We will not allow that such an awful attack divides our society," she said appearing alongside Minister-President of the German State of North Rhine Westphalia Hendrik Wüst and State Minister for Internal Affairs Herbert Reul hasn’t classified it as a “terror attack.” Reul announced that the planned visit of the interior minister to the crime scene wouldn't take place because of the ongoing police operation in the affected areas of the city He pleaded with the public to “give time to the police” so that they can do their work He also said that police presence would be increased at larger events especially because the perpetrator hasn't been caught yet Friday to an unknown attacker having wounded several people with a knife on a central square speaking to reporters on Saturday near the scene of the attack Caspers told the news conference that the 15-year-old boy was arrested after two female witnesses contacted police They said they had listened to a conversation between the boy and an unknown person before the attack speaking about intentions that corresponded to the events that followed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished with the full force of the law "The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly We mourn the victims and stand by their families,” Scholz said on X German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to Kurzbach on Saturday morning We mourn those killed and worry about those injured and I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart," Steinmeier said in a statement on Saturday “The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice Let’s stand together — against hatred and violence.” A decade after the Islamic State militant group declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria have lost many prominent leaders and are mostly out of the world news headlines Still, the group continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including lethal operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that left scores dead Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq still carry out attacks against government forces in both countries as well as U.S.-backed Syrian fighters Last Friday's deadly knife attack in the German city of Solingen has caused an outburst of anti-immigration sentiment among German politicians.  At a street fair in honour of Solingen's 650th birthday last Friday a refugee with suspected ties to the Islamic State (IS) group went on a knife rampage killing three people and wounding eight others The suspect, 26-year-old Syrian national Issa Al H turned himself in to the police and admitted to the crime He was remanded in custody, prosecutors said in a statement on Sunday.  The attack was claimed by IS but the claims are yet to be verified.  While the political reverberations began immediately the incident also comes ahead of key regional elections this coming Sunday in Saxony In all three states, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) a party known for its staunch anti-migration and - in part - right-wing extremism could become the strongest force The attack in Solingen spurred fears that it would play into the hands of AfD politicians and right-wing voters on Sunday.  Speaking to public broadcaster ZDF on Saturday, leader of the AfD Alice Weidel demanded an "immediate ban on immigration admission and naturalisation for at least five years".  During an AFD event in Thuringia a day after the attack, Bjoern Hoecke, arguably the most successful right-wing politician in Germany, labelled "those politicians who have always pledged tolerance and open-mindedness" as "mental arsonists who have created a fertile breeding ground for such incidents as Solingen".  But it is not only the far-right who have entertained such rhetoric.  leader of the opposition's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) gave an incendiary press conference in which he advocated for a complete overhaul of Germany's immigration law and suggested calling for a "national emergency" in reference to illegal immigration.  and Europe is not capable of changing this in the short term to declare a national emergency with regards to the refugees the national law of Germany trumps European law."  an asylum seeker can be sent back to the country of first arrival.  Refugees from Syria and Afghanistan are to be rejected in particular as these are the most "problematic groups" Under the Geneva Refugee Convention, to which Germany is a signatory, rejected asylum seekers from countries deemed generally unsafe shall not be deported. Due to the ongoing civil war in Syria very few deportations have been conducted from Germany to Syria in the past 12 years Merz also advocated for a strengthening of the federal police Chancellor Olaf Scholz, head of Germany's traditionally centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) "That is why the Federal Government will continue its efforts to further limit irregular migration" Measures to do so include "above all to make repatriation even easier" In January, the German parliament passed a bill enabling easier and swifter deportations The number of deportations from Germany has been steadily increasing in recent years the number of deportations in Germany increased by more than a quarter compared to the previous year the neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), is signalling a willingness to compromise after having been reluctant to change the law.  "The FDP is prepared to make cross-party efforts to consistently implement new realism in migration at federal and state level," FDP party leader Christian Lindner told reporters Merz's proposals "are very much in line with those of the FDP" In an interview with the newspaper Die Zeit the domestic policy spokesperson for the Green Party accused Merz of "hasty and thoughtless demands" and "shortsightedness".  "A lot of Muslims and people with a migration background say that they are now afraid. Afraid of becoming victims of an attack themselves And also afraid that the same debates will start again That they will be stigmatised and placed under general suspicion," Kaddor said.  'Most of those who have recently carried out or planned attacks were not smuggled in'  - Lamya Kaddor, spokesperson for the Green Party When a person with a migration background commits a serious crime a mechanism is triggered: "politicians formulate hasty thoughtless demands without considering that they are thereby making an entire group jointly responsible" Merz has since retracted his demands slightly and spoken of a "de facto stop on admissions" in a paper addressed to Chancellor Scholz Kaddor also accused politicians of a lack of knowledge of "extremist Islam" and reminded them that "violent Islamism hardly survives on letting people immigrate to countries so that they can carry out attacks there. Most of those who have recently carried out or planned attacks were not smuggled in." groups like IS increasingly rely on radicalising young people in western countries adding that money and resources should be spent on preventing radicalisation instead of imposing blanket immigration stops for asylum seekers She suggested addressing online platform operators directly in order to control the content circulating online as well as increasing educational opportunities and involving Muslim associations.  Kaddor also warned of the threat that the far-right movement poses towards vulnerable communities such as migrants and Muslims Should Sunday's election see a decisive win for the AfD, Kaddor warned of a situation similar to the far-right riots that gripped the UK this month after false claims and misinformation about the murder of three children in Southport was propagated online and by prominent politicians leading to a spate of racist and Islamophobic mob attacks "The Muslim and migrant community is very afraid that we will end up with conditions like in Great Britain, that the situation will escalate and people will fight each other on the streets." Copyright © 2014 - 2025. Middle East Eye Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters Middle East Eye          ISSN 2634-2456                      Politicans have long been calling for stricter weapons laws while others say social issues need to be addressed Germany has experienced a steep rise in knife violence in recent years, and the mass fatal stabbing in the western city of Solingen will compound the pressure on the government to crack down on the problem Security authorities say attacks with knives are particularly concentrated in city centres and at railway stations this month to call for restrictions on the weapons in public spaces days before the assault that claimed the lives of three people at a festival in Solingen Faeser has proposed only allowing the carrying of knives with blade lengths of 6cm with exceptions only for household knives in closed packaging that have just been bought She told public broadcaster ARD on 11 August: “We want a general ban on dangerous switchblades and will present the relevant amendments to weapons laws soon.” She added that local governments should create more weapon-free and particularly knife-free zones in their communities “Brutal violent acts are being carried out with knives that lead to the worst injuries or can be deadly,” she said Police statistics show a nearly 10% year-on-year increase in serious bodily assaults using a knife These included attacks in which victims were injured or threatened with a knife who are also responsible for security at railway stations said knife crimes there had soared last year to 777 attacks with 430 cases recorded in the first half of this year Charité hospital in Berlin reported treating as many stab wounds in the first six months of 2024 as in the entirety of 2023, according to public broadcaster RBB – about 50 to 55 cases Germany’s 16 states have long been calling for tougher federal measures to address the rash of knife crimes. Faeser had called for better police enforcement of existing weapons laws after police shot and wounded a man in May who injured six people in a knife attack at a rightwing demonstration in the south-western city of Mannheim Among the victims was a 29-year-old policeman who intervened and was fatally stabbed The country has already outlawed the purchase or possession of certain bladed weapons which can carry a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine and knives with 12cm blades or longer may not be carried outside one’s home or property in the aftermath of the deadly assault in Solingen promised tough action against the assailant “The perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law,” Scholz posted on X MPs from the co-ruling Social Democrats (SPD) the deputy head of the SPD parliamentary group told the daily newspaper Rheinische Post: “It is clear to me that our security services must have more powers to recognise such perpetrators in time we have got to finally make progress on knife bans in light of the probable terror attack on the city festival in Solingen.” The far-right Alternative für Deutschland party has attempted to seize on street crime and knife violence as an issue particularly in campaigning for three state elections next month in eastern Germany in which it is expected to perform well Party co-leader Alice Weidel last month claimed in a television interview that there had been “more than 15,000” knife crimes in 2023 calling it a “record” and accusing young immigrant men of being disproportionately responsible Weidel later corrected last year’s figure to 13,844 which included robberies in which a knife was used to threaten the victim Federal police have only been collecting specific statistics on knife crime since 2021 making annual comparisons difficult and reliant on data compiled from individual states Criminologist Dirk Baier warned that stricter laws were unlikely to root out knife assaults “That won’t scare off young perpetrators,” he told public broadcaster MDR “And in weapons-ban zones you’ve got to have checks and the question is whether we have enough personnel.” He called for youth education to address the surge in stabbings “explaining for example that you’re most likely to hurt yourself if you carry a knife” “You can’t solve the problem with a law,” he said “It’s a social problem and has to be addressed with social measures.” This article was amended on 26 August 2024 An earlier version said that police statistics show a nearly 6% year-on-year increase in serious bodily assaults using a knife Olaf Scholz discusses immigration policy with CDU leader after three killed in last week’s attack The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has held a meeting with the country’s opposition leader to discuss how to change immigration policy and increase deportations, after a deadly knife attack on Friday linked to Islamic State Described as the “Solingen Summit” by the media, after the attack in the western city of Solingen, in which a Syrian who had applied for asylum in Germany is alleged to have killed three and injured eight people details of the meeting between Scholz and the leader of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) Merz is due to hold a press conference later on Tuesday seen as Scholz’s main challenger in the September 2025 general election has called for a “turning point” in Germany’s “naive” migration policy At an election rally in Dresden on Monday he presented the government with a list of demands including a halt to asylum seekers from Syria and Afghanistan being allowed to enter Germany and said his CDU/CSU alliance were “at the ready” to jointly agree what he called “sensible laws” in the event that Scholz’s Social Democrats were unable to find a sufficient majority for reform in the three-way governing coalition The attacks carried out on Friday night during the 650th anniversary celebrations in Solingen have been seized upon by the far-right and stoked political strain over asylum and deportation policy ahead of three key state elections in September The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is top of the polls in the states of Saxony where electionstake place on Sunday and in Brandenburg Demonstrations sparked by the attacks have taken place in towns and cities in Germany held by both anti-racist campaigners and far-right protesters Police said on Tuesday they were investigating after racist slogans and at least one Hitler salute were observed at a far-right rally in Solingen On a visit to Solingen on Monday, Scholz promised quicker enforcement of existing deportation rules as well as tougher weapons laws in response to the attack He said that his centre-left government was prepared to “do everything in our power to ensure such things never happen again” This includes working out how asylum seekers whose applications have been turned down can be returned more quickly either to their country of origin – if deemed safe – or to the EU country where they first applied for asylum called on Scholz to recognise that a “paradigm shift” was needed in his government’s migration policy “The chancellor must see that it can’t continue as it has done,” he said The attacks in Solingen amounted to a last straw said he opposed a halt to asylum seekers from Syria and Afghanistan saying that a blanket ban on receiving people from certain countries was not in line with German or EU law Stating the importance of “talking about the numbers and the distribution of refugees who come to Europe” he told TV station ARD it was not right to say “no one is able to come to us any more” Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said any agreements would have to be “expedient” and could not contravene Germany’s constitution or the UN’s charter of human rights leader of the northern state of Brandenburg where a state election will be held on 22 September said in an interview that “feelings of security have dissipated in parts of the population” He added: “We need fast solutions that can also be legally implemented.” insisted that sufficient legal structures were already in place following the introduction of new principles according to which deportations could take place in an interview with the news group Funke Mediengruppe: “But crucial for their success is above all that the new rules are applied properly at a state level,” she said attend a wreath laying ceremony for the victims of a knife attack that killed three people last week In the background left German Chancellor Olaf Scholz 24 violence left three dead and 10 wounded at a festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary Prosecutors previously said the alleged perpetrator shared the radical ideology of the Islamic State extremist group — and was acting on those beliefs when he stabbed his victims repeatedly from behind in the head and upper body The suspect was only identified as Issa Al H The federal prosecutor filed the charges Monday and announced them Thursday in a news release allegedly took an oath of allegiance to IS and announced his plan in a video sent to his IS contact then traveled to the festival minutes later the federal prosecutor said in a statement He allegedly viewed the festival-goers as infidels and representatives of Western society upon whom he would seek revenge for military acts by Western states His IS contact promised that the militant group would claim responsibility for the act and use it in their propaganda is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in Germany He was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria last year but reportedly disappeared for a time and avoided deportation Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Scopes arrested for teaching evolution in TN public schools Arrest comes after police operation at home for refugees in city Police made a second arrest on Saturday in their investigation of deadly stabbings in the western German city of Solingen The arrest followed a police operation at a home for refugees in Solingen They said they could not provide any more details on the individual or the connection to the incident The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed responsibility for the Solingen stabbings The militant group said in a statement on its Telegram account that the attack was carried out by one of its members “in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere” It did not immediately provide any evidence for its assertion and it was not clear how close any relationship between the attacker and Islamic State was Accounts claiming to speak for Islamic State have falsely claimed responsibility for atrocities in the past Earlier, police in Germany had said they did not rule out a “terrorist motive” after the mass stabbing at a festival on Friday night police said they had detained a 15-year-old at his parents’ home in the early hours of Saturday in connection with the attack in Solingen But they added that he is not believed to be the prime suspect Public prosecutor Markus Caspers said of the 15-year-old: “He is at this point only suspected of failing to report a crime.” He added that the suspect was alleged to have spoken with the perpetrator “shortly before the crime” He said that a “terrorist motive” could not be excluded partly because the assailant did not appear to know his victims Police found at least one weapon that may have been used in the assault and are analysing it for DNA traces They said they had had no indication in the run-up to the festival that there was a security threat People began leaving flower bouquets and candles in tribute to the victims at the site of the attack in the centre of Solingen Authorities set up a website for people to send in footage or information about the attack as well as a telephone hotline and urged witnesses not to post relevant videos directly to social media used a knife to attack people apparently at random in a crowd of thousands gathered for a festival at the central square in Solingen on Friday night which happened at a festival of diversity during celebrations to mark the city’s 650th anniversary who has been under pressure to fight a rise in knife violence in cities said on Saturday that he was “shocked” by the “terrible event” and stood with the terrorised city in mourning the victims “I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he said in a post on X “The perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law.” The authorities have deployed a “large contingent” to search for the male assailant who fled the scene A spokesperson said it remained unclear which direction he had fled in and what means of transport he used “Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned The police are currently searching for the perpetrator with a large team,” the spokesperson said urging the public to be vigilant and cautious the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state – Germany’s most populous region warned against speculation about the perpetrator’s background “You don’t want to believe what you see here at the crime scene We can’t say anything about the person or the motive yet,” he said acknowledging that the police had very few leads The mass stabbing happened at a festival that was supposed to run through to Sunday drawing up to 25,000 people each day with a programme including live bands The rest of the festival has now been cancelled A police spokesperson said emergency services had received several calls at about 9.40pm with witnesses reporting that “an unknown person armed with a knife wounded several people at random” A large crowd had gathered around a stage with live music on the Fronhof market square in the city centre Most of those injured are believed to have been attacked directly in front of the stage adding that the man appeared to target the throats of his victims The German DJ Topic, who is from Solingen, said in a post on Instagram he was performing on the stage when security personnel approached him and informed him of the attack we hid in a nearby store while police helicopters circled above us,” he wrote who was on his first night on the job for a security firm at the festival said he suddenly saw a group of people running in his direction The 37-year-old told weekly newspaper Die Zeit that he went to the main square to help and saw lifeless bodies on the ground and people in shock told the local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt that he was a few metres from the attack and “understood from the expression on the singer’s face that something was wrong” who at first thought it was someone who was drunk he saw other people lying on the ground and several pools of blood The authorities called on people to maintain calm as they left the city centre and witnesses said festivalgoers complied armed police were guarding a security perimeter with witnesses describing a “ghostly” atmosphere in the normally bustling shopping district Solingen has about 160,000 inhabitants and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf said he hoped “rescue teams can save the wounded who are still alive and that police can catch the cowardly and pathetic perpetrator” said the “treacherous attack … shocked me deeply” said security authorities were “doing everything they can to catch the perpetrator and determine the background to the attack” Germany has experienced a series of knife attacks over the past 12 months, with Faeser pledging earlier this month to crack down on knife crime with a reformed weapons law In May, German police shot and wounded a man who injured six people in a knife attack at a rightwing demonstration in the south-western city of Mannheim This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Tuesday World Subscribers only In Zurich the leaf blower war or the anti-'woke' backlash World Subscribers only Germany's Friedrich Merz is embracing pragmatism World Subscribers only Trump-Carney meeting: Canada seeks reconciliation World Subscribers only Friedrich Merz bets on two private sector converts to revive the German economy and reform the state World Subscribers only Founder of Sant'Egidio community fears next pope could undo Francis's legacy Opinion Subscribers only 'Russian gas and Europe is an old story that ended badly Economy Subscribers only Europe's steel industry flattened by crisis World Subscribers only How European countries plan to fund defense efforts France Subscribers only Macron announces citizens' convention on school schedules France Subscribers only 21 charged over French 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Didion's private diaries are revealed Magazine Subscribers only For Jewish cartoonist Joann Sfar 2025."> Pixels Subscribers only Golden Owl solution is revealed but leaves players of 31-year hunt disappointed Pixels Subscribers only Secrets of decades-long Golden Owl treasure hunt to be revealed Lifestyle Inside Chanel's French leather workshops Culture Subscribers only The marvelous bronzes of Angkor on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris The suspect in the knife attack on Friday which left three people dead and eight injured By Thomas Wieder (Berlin (Germany) correspondent) Police officers arrest a suspect following a knife attack that left three people dead and eight injured at a festival in Solingen THILO SCHMUELGEN / REUTERS The hunt lasted just over 24 hours that the suspect in the knife attack that had left three people dead and eight injured the previous day in Solingen which quoted sources close to the investigation shortly before midnight he surrendered to police officers on patrol The weekly reported that it was Issa Al H. a status accorded to people who can prove that they are threatened in their own country due to armed conflict he was not known to the German security services as an Islamist the Islamic State (IS) organization claimed responsibility for the murderous attack that struck Solingen on Friday evening "The man who attacked the Christian gathering in the town of Solingen was a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out his act to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere," said the terrorist organization via its Amaq propaganda agency which broadcast the news on social media shortly before 8:30 pm The investigation will therefore have to determine whether the man arrested on Saturday evening did indeed have links with the IS whether the latter directly inspired his act or whether it was an opportunistic claim You have 76.1% of this article left to read Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul 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Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article Pour plus d’informations, merci de contacter notre service commercial. Speculation is growing as to the possible motive for a knife attack that left three dead and at least eight seriously injured in western Germany. DW’s security correspondent Thomas Sparrow has the latest. The teenager is suspected of knowing about the attack beforehand and not reporting it to police The identity of the attacker remains unclear Three people died in the attack and four more are "very seriously injured" The attack happened during celebrations to mark the 650th anniversary of the city’s foundation Police say a motive is still not clear but they say they cannot rule out a "terrorist" motive German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the suspect must be "punished to the full extent of the law" Edited by Barbara Tasch with Jessica Parker reporting from Solingen We are now pausing our live coverage of the aftermath of the knife attack in the German city of Solingen where three people were killed and four seriously injured You can stay across any future developments in this story here Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat happened today?published at 17:04 British Summer Time 24 August 202417:04 BST 24 August 2024Additional details emerged today about last night's mass stabbing incident in the western German city of Solingen Here's a look at the key developments: Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingMore and more tributes for victims of stabbing attackpublished at 16:34 British Summer Time 24 August 202416:34 BST 24 August 2024Jessica ParkerReporting from Solingen Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingUrsula von der Leyen "deeply shocked" by attackspublished at 16:28 British Summer Time 24 August 202416:28 BST 24 August 2024Image source EPAEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says she is "deeply shocked" by the "brutal and insidious attack in Solingen" she says: "My thoughts are with the families of the dead and the injured adding: "We need to quickly clarify the background to this crime." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat did police say at the press conference?published at 15:40 British Summer Time 24 August 202415:40 BST 24 August 2024We've just heard from German police and state prosecutors who gave an update on the current situation following the attack at the western German city of Solingen Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingIdentity of attacker remains unclearpublished at 15:22 British Summer Time 24 August 202415:22 BST 24 August 2024The press conference has now ended Police said a 15-year-old had been arrested in connection to the stabbings in Solingen He was detained this morning after two women reported overhearing a conversation between the 15-year-old and someone else in which they discussed the attack The identity of the attacker is still unclear investigators are still trying to establish exactly who carried out the attack Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFour injured people are 'very seriously injured'published at 14:41 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:41 BST 24 August 2024Officials are now asked about the eight people who are injured One of the officers says there are four "very seriously injured" people in the hospital who are undergoing medical treatment "We hope that soon their lives won't be at risk," he says adding that "things are moving in the right direction" Another officer confirms that there are four people who are fighting for their lives Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingNo specific terror threat before eventpublished at 14:37 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:37 BST 24 August 2024Police say there was no specific terror threat before the festival and there was not a large security zone in place Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingAttacker targeted victims' throats police saypublished at 14:34 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:34 BST 24 August 2024The situation on the ground after the attack was "very hectic" which made it difficult to find a perpetrator Asked about reports that the attacker targeted victims' throats attacks were "very targeted" at people's throats and necks Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingAttacker appears unknown to victimspublished at 14:33 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:33 BST 24 August 2024Caspers repeats that police are look at terror motive adding that there's no other obvious motive and that the attacker appears to be completely unknown to all victims He also says people are "seriously injured" but does not provide further information on their conditions Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Multiple knives' found but no confirmation of weapon used in attackpublished at 14:28 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:28 BST 24 August 2024Due to the "brutality and complexity" of the attack police say they have a lot of evidence to look at They have found "multiple knives" and are attempting to determine whether one of them was used in the attack They cannot currently confirm whether they do have the weapon that was used Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingNo image will be released of the suspect police saypublished at 14:27 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:27 BST 24 August 2024Now over to questions from journalists police chiefs say they are unable to say anything else about the investigation while it is ongoing the officer declines to give further information on the 15-year-old suspect and confirm that they are not releasing any images of the suspect He is then asked about online speculation there were two attackers He says is not aware of those reports and will not comment on the investigation He says he's not aware of any witnesses talking about two attackers Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPolice chief asks public not to speculate on social mediapublished at 14:21 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:21 BST 24 August 2024Police are continuing to search for an individual who was allegedly heard discussing the attack plan with the 15-year-old who is in custody The chief of police appeals to the public for more information and urges people not to speculate or share information on social media There will be an increased presence during the ongoing investigation Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPolice cannot rule out 'terrorist' motivepublished at 14:19 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:19 BST 24 August 2024BreakingPolice say that they don't yet know the suspect's motive but that they cannot currently rule out a "terrorist" motive Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLocal and federal police forces involved in ongoing searchpublished at 14:18 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:18 BST 24 August 2024The chief of police on duty last night now says that everyone is thinking of those who have lost their lives and those who have suffered because of this "hideous attack" He says they received multiple calls at around 21:40 local time last night about a male attacker who was attacking people at the festival A large number of police officers have been deployed adding the ongoing search action involves both local and federal police forces Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFifteen-year-old arrested in connection with the casepublished at 14:14 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:14 BST 24 August 2024BreakingPolice say they have arrested a 15-year-old in connection with the case Two men aged 67 and 56 and a woman aged 56 Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingA happy event became a 'terribly sad one' police chief sayspublished at 14:11 British Summer Time 24 August 202414:11 BST 24 August 2024Police Chief Markus Röhrl starts his opening remarks by saying yesterday's festival for the 650th anniversary of Solingen should have been a happy event but instead became a "terribly sad one" Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach was unable to attend the press conference Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPolice press conference to begin soonpublished at 13:57 British Summer Time 24 August 202413:57 BST 24 August 2024We're just about to hear from German police who will give us an update on the situation in Solingen We're also expecting to hear from prosecutors and the city's mayor Follow along by clicking the Watch Live button above Stay with us as we bring you the key lines Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingOne person detained over knife attack - policepublished at 13:30 British Summer Time 24 August 202413:30 BST 24 August 2024BreakingGerman police say they have detained one person in connection to the stabbing attack in Solingen The arrest was made "as part of the search" and they are verifying whether there is a connection to the incident a number of police measures are being carried out including searches at various locations," police say in a statement They also say the hunt for other potential perpetrators and an investigation into the motive behind the attack are ongoing Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingget involvedPostpublished at 13:11 British Summer Time 24 August 202413:11 BST 24 August 2024Have you been affected by what’s happened You can get in touch in the following ways: Olaf Scholz also promises tougher weapons laws after three killed in last week’s rampage has promised swifter enforcement of deportation rules and tougher weapons laws in response to the deadly mass stabbing in the western city of Solingen as the far right seized on public outrage in the run-up to key state elections Scholz laid a single white rose at the scene of Friday night’s rampage claimed by the Islamic State group in which a Syrian asylum seeker is alleged to have killed three and injured eight people attending a street festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary After meeting with regional officials and listening to what he called the “very moving accounts” of emergency services workers who tended to the victims Scholz told reporters he was “furious” about the murders but would not let them tear apart German society “This was terrorism – terrorism against us all “That is also what the people who plan and carry out such attacks always intend and it is something we will never accept.” Olaf Scholz lays a single white rose at the scene of the stabbing attack in Solingen Photograph: Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty ImagesScholz whose unpopular government has faced fierce criticism on migration policy and crime from the conservative opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party before next month’s three regional elections said his centre-left-led coalition was prepared to “do everything in our power to ensure such things never happen again” This would include reforming weapons laws and studying how asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected can be sent back more quickly either to their country of origin if deemed safe or the European country where they first applied for refuge The suspect identified by federal prosecutors as Issa Al H, 26, whose last name has not been released due to data protection rules, arrived in Germany in late 2022 and applied for asylum Media reports said he was at that time not known to security authorities as an Islamic extremist His application was later rejected and he was slated last year for deportation to Bulgaria where he had first been registered under European Union rules as an asylum seeker denied media reports that Issa Al H had then “vanished” but said it appeared his stay in Germany had outlasted legal deadlines meaning he could no longer be sent to another country The shift in position came after an Afghan asylum seeker allegedly killed a police officer at a far-right rally and in response to accusations from the right and the far right that his government was lax on deportations The Afghan case also prompted the federal interior minister, Nancy Faeser, to call for stricter laws on carrying long blades in public amid a rise in knife violence the proposals were criticised within the government by the liberal Free Democrats who reportedly have dropped their opposition since the Solingen attack Tino Chrupalla, co-leader of the AfD, wrote in a post on X even before the alleged assailant surrendered to police on Saturday: “A knife ban will not help in such situations Germany needs an immediate about-face in its migration and security policy!” who is widely expected to be Scholz’s main challenger in the general election in September 2025 called for a “turning point” in Germany’s “naive” migration policy He sent a letter to Scholz calling for a total stop to asylum seekers from Syria and Afghanistan entering Germany it should finally be clear: knives are not the problem but rather the people running around with them,” he wrote opinion polls indicated that the AfD was likely to emerge as the strongest party in all three states voting in September: Thuringia CDU party leaders said Merz and Scholz would meet later in the week to discuss possible consequences from the Solingen attack about 30 members of the youth wing of the AfD rallied in Solingen met by a counterprotest of a few hundred people defending diversity in the city Police broke up minor scuffles between the groups A sign reading “love instead of hate” lay among the bouquets in memory of the victims on Monday a city in western Germany near Cologne and Düsseldorf many of them the descendants of “guest workers” who arrived in the 1960s and 70s The city also has a large community of dual citizens Speaking at the news conference with Scholz, the North Rhine-Westphalia state premier, Hendrik Wüst, pleaded with the extreme right not to exploit the tragedy, and noted Solingen had bitter experience in recovering from trauma as the site of a horrific neo-Nazi attack in 1993. Amid a wave of racist violence that shocked the country, far-right assailants set fire to a home occupied by a large Turkish family, killing five people including three children and injuring a further 14 people. The perpetrators were convicted and given long prison sentences. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Police are probing whether the suspect has links to Islamic State after the extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Prosecutors have revealed the identity of a man accused of carrying out deadly stabbings at a festival in Germany with suspected links to Islamic State The Syrian national was named a Issa Al H, omitting his family name because of German privacy laws. The 26-year-old man had turned himself in to police amid a major manhunt following the attack in Solingen German federal prosecutors are investigating the suspect for links to the Islamic State extremist group after they claimed responsibility for Friday’s atrocity which saw the knifeman aim for victim’s throats attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm in eight cases Prosecutors said “due to his radical Islamist convictions” he tried to kill as many people as possible that he considered to be non-believers stabbing them repeatedly in the neck and upper body were killed in Friday’s ferocious attack on revellers at a ‘Festival of Diversity’ to celebrate the west German city’s 650th anniversary Here’s a look at everything we know so far Residents of the western German city of Solingen were enjoying a diversity festival when tragedy struck. The Festival of Diversity marked the city’s 650th anniversary, and was set to run until Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering live music, cabaret and acrobatics. But shortly after 9.30pm on Friday evening, witnesses reported to police that someone had attacked people with a knife at a central square, known as the Fronhof. Phillip Müller, the festival’s organiser, appeared on stage to ask festivalgoers to leave “calmly”. “Please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught,” Mr Müller said. A woman, 56, and two men, aged 56 and 67, were killed and eight more were injured, including four left fighting for their lives in hospital. German police instantly launched a manhunt for the perpetrator, who they believed to be working alone. On Saturday, police detained a 15-year-old boy who was allegedly seen speaking with the suspect moments before. Later the same day a second man was detained at a refugee centre close to the site of the attack. However late on Saturday, a 26-year-old man handed himself in to police claiming to be the knifeman. “This person’s involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated,” officials said. He was later named by federal prosecutors as Issa Al H. Meanwhile the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence. The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that as a “soldier of the Islamic State” he carried out the assaults Friday night “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere”. The claim could not immediately be verified. The 26-year-old suspect has been named as Issa Al H, omitting his family name because of German privacy laws. He is suspected of being a member of Islamic State and is being investigated over three counts of murder, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm in eight cases. Prosecutors said “due to his radical Islamist convictions” he tried to kill as many people as possible that he considered to be non-believers, stabbing them repeatedly in the neck and upper body. He was pictured in handcuffs being escorted to the Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Sunday. The man is a Syrian national who had applied for asylum in Germany, according to the Associated Press. The suspect came from a home for refugees in Solingen that was searched on Saturday, North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister, Herbert Reul, said. Local, national and international politicians have spoken out to condemn the horrific stabbings. German chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X that the perpetrator must be punished “to the fullest extent of the law”. He said it was a “terrible” event which had “shocked” him greatly, adding that he will “mourn the victims and stand by their families”. German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier described it as a “heinous act” and wished those injured “strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart”. “The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. Let’s stand together — against hatred and violence,” Mr Steinmeier added. Tim Kurzbach, the mayor of Solingen, said “our hearts were torn apart” by the violence, which “hardly let any of us sleep”. "We are working all night, all the time, to organise everything imaginable. Nevertheless, this great pain remains," he said. "I continue to pray and hope that the relatives will find comfort. That the injured and wounded will recover. And I ask you to continue to hope and pray with us here in Solingen.” Regional interior minister Herbert Reul said you “don’t want to believe what you see here at the crime scene”, while European Commission president and German politician Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply shocked by the brutal and insidious attack”. govt and politics"},{"score":0.801491,"label":"/society/crime/personal offense"},{"score":0.793425,"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/homicide"},{"score":0.680119,"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/assault"},{"score":0.646729,"label":"/law govt and politics/armed forces"},{"score":0.603611,"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/torture"},{"score":0.601265,"label":"/religion and spirituality/islam"},{"score":0.591925,"label":"/law named","description":"Police are probing whether the suspect has links to Islamic State after the extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York crime and politics while specializing on marginalized and underrepresented communities Natalie worked with news publications including Adweek She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's in journalism either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised on Monday to implement stricter knife laws and ramp up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers following a deadly knife attack in Solingen which occurred during a festival on Friday celebrating Solingen's 650th anniversary resulted in the deaths of three individuals and left eight others wounded The BBC reported that shortly after the stabbing incident the suspected attacker was believed to have fled the scene and police helicopters were actively circling the area in search for the individual a 26-year-old Syrian national identified as Issa Al H. federal prosecutors said the suspect holds extremist views aligned with the Islamic State and had been due for deportation after his asylum application was rejected who laid a white rose at a makeshift memorial "We must do everything to ensure that such things never happen in our country Scholz continued to state the urgent need to tighten knife laws a move that Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had already begun advocating for earlier this month The proposed legislation would restrict the public carrying of knives to those with blades no longer than 6 centimeters a significant reduction from the current 12-centimeter limit who had been slated for deportation to Bulgaria reignited debates over Germany's handling of migration and deportation noting that deportations have increased by 30 percent this year but added that more needs to be done "We will have to do everything so that those who aren't allowed to stay in Germany are sent back and deported," Scholz said adding that "we have massively expanded the possibilities to carry out such deportations." Newsweek reached out to Scholz's office via email on Monday for comment the mass stabbing in Solingen comes after another knife attack in Mannheim in May that left one police officer dead and four more people injured Due to the suspect in that attack being identified as an Afghan immigrant discussions intensified around deporting criminals to countries like Afghanistan and Syria a practice Germany has largely refrained from due to security concerns Germany does not currently carry out deportations to those countries as the government has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban in Kabul Scholz previously said in June that his government was working on solutions that would allow such deportations a move that has been met with criticism from opposition leaders demanding quicker action the leader of Wüst's Christian Democratic Union said on Sunday evening on ARD television that "we have been discussing the consequences of Mannheim for three months...it's enough "We have people in Germany we don't want to have here and we must ensure that we don't have even more coming," Merz said Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsletters in your inbox See all Officers have said they cannot rule out terrorism and are investigating the teenager’s possible connection to the attack They confirmed they arrested a 15-year-old, but said they could not give further information. Police also confirmed two men and a woman were killed in the attack. The two male victims are reportedly 67 and 56 years old, the deceased woman 56. Eight other people were injured, four of them seriously. Police urged people to avoid speculation about the attack. And asked people with evidence to submit it using the official helpline, rather than posting it on social media. He was detained this morning after two women reported overhearing a conversation between him and a second person in which they discussed the attack, the BBC reported. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Saturday for a knife attack in the western German city of Solingen that killed three people and injured eight others Earlier, police in Germany had said they did not rule out a “terrorist motive” after the mass stabbing at a festival on Friday night. The militant group said in a statement on its Telegram account that the attack was carried out by one of its members “in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere”. It did not immediately provide any evidence for its assertion and it was not clear how close any relationship between the attacker and Islamic State was. It’s worth pointing out that in the past accounts claiming to speak for Islamic State have falsely claimed responsibility for atrocities. Since the fall of its Caliphate, the group’s web propaganda has been less prodigious than at the height of its power. But there has been concern about elements of Islamic State regrouping and it remains the dominant label in the violent Jihadist world. Intelligence agencies across the West will be assessing whether the claim of responsibility for the German attack is genuine or not. Updated at 21.26 CEST24 Aug 202420.57 CESTGerman police said they were conducting an operation to access a building in the western German city of Solingen on Saturday as they investigated the stabbing, Reuters reported. 24 Aug 202416.59 CESTSolingen attack: What we know so farThis blog has paused for now – but do read below this post for all of today’s updates and check back for any significant developments Here’s everything we know so far about last night’s knife attack in Solingen following this afternoon’s police press conference and confirmation that a 15-year-old is in custody in relation to the attack A 15-year-old has been arrested in relation to an attack that killed three people and injured eight at a diversity festival in the western German city of Solingen, police said. Terrorism has not been ruled out as a motive. Prosecutor Markus Caspers said that police are looking at terror, saying that there is no other obvious motive and that the attacker appears to be unknown to the victims. It is not known if the 15-year-old was the attacker. German media have reported that the teenager is suspected of speaking to the attacker prior to the incident. The three people that were killed were two men, aged 67 and 56, and a woman, 56. Eight others were injured, four are fighting for their lives, police said. Police said that they found “multiple knives” in the area and were looking at which, if any, were used in the attack. The stabbings happened during a festival of diversity to mark the city’s 650th anniversary, which began on Friday and was supposed to run through to Sunday. Witnesses alerted police shortly after 9.30pm on Friday night to an unknown attacker having wounded several people with a knife in the city’s central square, the Fronhof. Authorities cancelled the remainder of the weekend festival. Other festivals scheduled for this weekend in the area have also been cancelled. The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that the perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to fullest extent of the law. The country’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, said in an update on X that police were still searching for the attacker and trying establish a motive. Updated at 17.20 CEST24 Aug 202416.37 CESTPeople have been leaving more tributes to the victims of last night’s attack in Solingen Police were pressed on giving a description or images of the alleged perpetrator, but declined to do so. “Nothing would be more damaging than giving a description and then, during the investigation, it turns out that the person actually looks completely different,” said the police spokesman. Police did not give any further information about the 15-year-old who was arrested. Asked about speculation there were two attackers, police said they were not aware of those reports and would not comment. There was a question about a conversation overheard by two witnesses, allegedly between the attacker and someone else – police confirmed the witnesses had reported the conversation after the attack but did not provide more details. Updated at 16.12 CEST24 Aug 202415.38 CESTPolice said they cannot rule out terrorismPolice said they cannot rule out a terrorist motive Prosecutor Markus Caspers said that police are looking at a terror motive adding that there’s no other obvious motive and that the attacker appears to be unknown to the victims Police said there was no specific terror threat before the festival and there was not a large security zone in place Updated at 15.58 CEST24 Aug 202415.25 CESTThe chief of police said officers do not believe anyone else was involved in the attack, responding to a question about social media speculation that there were multiple attackers. He appealed to the public for more information and urged people not to speculate or share information on social media. 24 Aug 202415.20 CESTPolice said they have found multiple knives in the area but do not yet know which, if any, were used in the attack. German media earlier reported that a weapon had been found in a bin in central Solingen. 24 Aug 202415.15 CESTPolice confirm 15-year-old arrested in connection with attackPolice said they are still trying to establish a motive but they cannot rule out terrorism. Updated at 15.59 CEST24 Aug 202415.11 CESTThe press conference involving Düsseldorf police and the public prosecutor is underway in Wuppertal Germany (AP) — A 26-year-old man has turned himself into police saying he was responsible for the Solingen knife attack that left three dead and eight wounded at a festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary “This person’s involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated,” the statement said Federal prosecutors said they were investigating on suspicion of murder attempted murder and membership in a foreign terrorist organization was taken later Sunday from the police station in Solingen to make a first appearance before a judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe READ MORE: Islamic State group claims responsibility for knife attack that killed 3 at German festival the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that the perpetrator carried out the assaults Friday night “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” The claim couldn’t be independently verified Only a small number of claims on the site have turned out to be completely baseless professor of security studies at King’s College London However “ISIS’ strategy for a number of years has been to claim attacks which are merely ‘inspired’ in which the link between organization and attacker is merely ideological.” Friday’s attack plunged the city of Solingen into shock and grief The attack comes amid debate over immigration ahead of regional elections next Sunday in Germany’s Saxony and Thueringia regions where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well The IS militant group declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria about a decade ago it continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world including lethal operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that killed dozens of people Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq still carry out attacks on government forces in both countries as well as U.S.-backed Syrian fighters © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins Police in western city of Solingen search for unknown assailant after attack during festival attended by thousands that also seriously injured five Police in Germany are searching for an unknown suspect behind a mass stabbing at a festival on Friday night that killed three and injured eight The knife attack took place as thousands of people gathered at the central square in the city of Solingen in the country’s west during celebrations to mark its 650th anniversary No one has been arrested and police said they had deployed a “large contingent” including a helicopter to search for the male assailant who fled the scene Police declined to discuss a possible motive or speculate about the identity of the suspect police said they were still trying to track down the unknown assailant and said the number of seriously injured had risen from four to five The police are currently searching for the perpetrator with a large team,” police said said in a statement on Saturday morning: “We are deeply shocked by the brutal attack on the city festival in Solingen Our security authorities are doing everything they can to catch the perpetrator and establish the background to the attack.” She added: “The brutal attack on the city festival in Solingen has shocked us deeply We mourn the people whose lives were snatched from them in such a terrible way My thoughts are with the families of those killed and those seriously injured.” A witness told the local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt on Friday night that he was a few metres from the attack There has been a series of knife attacks in Germany over the past 12 months with Faeser previously promising to crack down on knife crime posted earlier on X: “All of North Rhine-Westphalia stands with the people in Solingen above all with the victims and their families.” He also thanked “the many rescue workers and our police who are in these minutes fighting for people’s lives” The attack happened at an event marking the city’s 650th anniversary and billed as a festival of diversity that began on Friday and was supposed to run through to Sunday many gathering around a stage with live music on the Fronhof market square in the city centre Most of those wounded are believed to have been attacked directly in front of the stage A police spokesperson said emergency services had received several calls at about 9.30pm with witnesses reporting that “an unknown person armed with a knife wounded several people at random” “Many witnesses are in a state of shock and are receiving care and giving their statements,” the spokesperson said “We hope to receive information about the assailant so that we can make the manhunt more targeted.” He said the information compiled so far was “very thin”. Police set up a website for people to send in footage or information about the attack Rolling news channel NTV showed a video of Müller asking the crowd not to panic and to be careful leaving the premises because the attacker was still at large “We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we have to mourn the deaths and injuries “It breaks my heart that there was an attack on our city I have tears in my eyes when I think of those we have lost I pray for all those who are still fighting for their lives “I also have great sympathy with all the people who had to witness this; it must have been a terrible sight I thank all the rescue and security forces for their efforts Emergency services gather after a knife attack at a diversity festival in Solingen Photograph: Christopher Neundorf/EPASerap Güler “Above all I wish that the wounded victims of this terrible attack survive Hopefully the perpetrator will be captured quickly My thoughts are with all those who are on the scene,” she posted on X The attack occurred amid a heated political debate about rising knife violence in German cities In May, German police shot and wounded a man who injured six people in a knife attack on a rightwing demonstration in the south-western city of Mannheim. Among the victims was a 29-year-old policeman who intervened and was fatally stabbed. A 26-year-old man handed himself in to police over the rampage which claimed three lives German prosecutors have named the man suspected of carrying out a knife attack at a festival that killed three people and injured eight The Syrian national was named a Issa Al H, omitting his family name because of German privacy laws. The 26-year-old man had turned himself in to police late on Saturday during a major manhunt. German federal prosecutors are investigating the suspect for links to Isis after the group claimed responsibility for Friday’s atrocity He was pictured in handcuffs being escorted to the Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe The suspect came from a home for refugees in Solingen that was searched on Saturday North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister The rampage saw the knifeman aim for people’s necks after he began stabbing people at a Festival of Diversity to celebrate the German city’s 650th anniversary were killed and eight were injured after the onslaught in front of one of the festival stages in the city’s central square Four of the wounded are in a critical condition in hospital Isis claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday evening saying the attacker was a “soldier of the Islamic State” but the group provided no immediate evidence to support the claim The attack comes during a debate over immigration ahead of regional elections next Sunday in Germany’s Saxony and Thuringia regions where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well So far two other people have been detained in connection with the mass stabbing A man was arrested on Saturday after police raided a home for asylum seekers near the scene of the attack who police allege knew the attack was going to take place before it happened At a press conference earlier on Saturday, police confirmed the deceased were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman – but they have not yet been publicly identified. The tragedy unfolded shortly after 2130 local time (1930 GMT) on Friday when witnesses reported an attack on people in the Fronhof, Solingen’s central square. Festival organiser Phillip Müller then asked people to leave “calmly”, informing festivalgoers that the perpetrator had not been caught. It is not known whether the attacker was previously acquainted with the 15-year-old with whom he spoke before carrying out the knife attack. The festival was supposed to run until Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics, but the remainder of the event was cancelled. Instead residents gathered to mourn the dead and injured, placing flowers and notes near the scene of the attack. One sign placed amid candles and a teddy bear asked simply: “Why?” Grieving local Cord Boetther, 62, a merchant, said: “Why does something like this have to be done? It’s incomprehensible and it hurts.” On Saturday the German chancellor Olaf Scholz said the perpetrator must be found quickly and face the “fullest extent of the law”. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said it was a “heinous act” adding that the attacker “needs to be brought to justice”. “Let’s stand together – against hatred and violence,” he added. govt and politics"},{"score":0.813386,"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/homicide"},{"score":0.729683,"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/assault"},{"score":0.613502,"label":"/law govt and politics/armed forces"},{"score":0.613206,"label":"/law govt and politics/immigration"},{"score":0.592583,"label":"/law Aug 24 (EFE).— A 15-year-old boy was detained Saturday in Solingen suspected of involvement in a knife attack that killed three people and injured eight others “The 15-year-old was arrested this morning,” police spokesman Thorsten Fleiss said at a press conference The teenager is believed to have known about the attack beforehand but did nothing to stop it investigators do not consider him the attacker The arrest was made during an ongoing manhunt for the perpetrator said authorities have yet to determine the motive but “cannot rule out” terrorism The investigation is focused on three counts of murder and eight counts of severe bodily harm the suspicion of a terrorist-motivated act cannot be dismissed,” Caspers said Police have asked those with evidence or images of the attack to submit them through a dedicated online portal to aid in the investigation The incident occurred during a concert at Fronhof as part of Solingen’s 650th-anniversary diversity festival with organizers urging attendees to leave carefully as the suspect remained at large but left the square peacefully,” organizer Philipp Müller told local news website Solinger Tageblatt Festival-goer Lars Breitzke described standing near the stage when he noticed something was wrong by the look on the singer’s face “Then a person collapsed just a meter away from me.” Breitzke soon saw others lying on the ground Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach expressed deep sorrow on Facebook He said the city wanted to celebrate its anniversary “and now we have to mourn the dead and injured.” North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) state Minister-President Hendrik Wüst wrote on X that the state is united in shock and grief “An act of brutal and senseless violence has struck our country to the heart,” he said NRW’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul has traveled to Solingen a city of about 160,000 residents near Cologne and Düsseldorf At least 80,000 visitors were expected over the weekend for Solingen’s anniversary festival which was to continue until Sunday with various concerts and shows The attack occurred just days after Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced plans to crack down on knife crime Police statistics recorded 9,000 cases of knife injuries in Germany last year HOT: » What kind of news would you like to see more of? A man accused of setting fire to a residential building in Solingen, Germany, last year, resulting in the deaths of a Bulgarian family, has unexpectedly pleaded guilty in court. The 40-year-old suspect, whose trial began in January, had previously remained silent on the charges. A verdict in the case is expected in March. The fire, which occurred in March 2024, claimed the lives of Bulgarian citizens Kancho and Katya Zhilovi and their two children, a three-year-old and a six-month-old infant. Another Bulgarian family with a baby survived by jumping from a window, landing on Kancho’s car, though they sustained serious injuries. Other residents managed to escape, with some suffering from smoke inhalation. During the court hearing in Wuppertal, the accused stated that he had been under the influence of drugs at the time of the arson. He admitted to setting the building on fire due to a personal dispute with the property owner over unpaid bills. The man had previously lived in the same building but was evicted for failing to pay rent. The trial proceedings included emotional moments as the accused met with the victims’ relatives, who are participating in the case. He claimed that this encounter made him fully realize the extent of the suffering he had caused. The families of both the deceased and the injured were present in court. The prosecution has charged the man with four counts of murder and 21 counts of attempted murder. The trial continues. We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you! Bulgarian businesses are actively recruiting students to fill seasonal positions for the upcoming summer, offering earnings ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 leva A Romanian family paid 3,084.60 leva (1,500 euros) for medical treatment at the Burgas University Hospital following a serious road accident A 33-year-old man from the village of Semchinovo, located in the Septemvri municipality, has been taken into custody by the police for physically assaulting a 10-year-old child In recent years, Bulgarian educational institutions have witnessed a growing presence of Russian cultural initiatives, raising concerns about potential propaganda targeting young students Israel has turned to Bulgaria for assistance in battling the rapidly advancing wildfires in areas near Jerusalem Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the round of 16 at the Madrid Masters after securing a straight-sets win over Britain’s Jacob Fearnley An 18-year-old girl who had been reported missing in Haskovo has been found dead, prompting a murder investigation A 12-year-old boy from Lukovit has been hospitalized with two broken arms and head injuries after reportedly being assaulted and thrown from a bridge Miroslav Belyashki, the director of the Plovdiv Customs Office, was arrested earlier today for allegedly facilitating a new smuggling route for cigarettes The Sofia Police has launched a targeted operation against drivers of electric scooters and electric motorbikes who engage in reckless behavior in the city's central areas A 54-year-old man, previously known to law enforcement, opened fire with a gas pistol near a kindergarten in Sofia's Lyulin district Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase Germany's president has been leading a memorial service for the victims of a knife attack last weekend in the western city of Solingen Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the violence has shaken the country to its core He also called for a more consistent political approach to refugees and asylum seekers