German police arrest perpetrator in stabbing attack
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German authorities are treating the incident as a terrorist attack since there is no clear motive and all victims appear unrelated.
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German police officers at Herrmannplatz, Berlin on October 11, 2023. (AFP)
A man suspected of a stabbing attack in the town of Solingen during a festival has been detained by the German police, a state official told local television on Saturday, around 24 hours after he killed three people.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul was "a bit relieved" after authorities followed a "hot lead" that led to the arrest of the assailant, the politician told ARD broadcaster.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the stabbing attack which also left eight people wounded. However, there is no immediate evidence tying the attack to the terrorist group.
"The real suspect is the one that we’ve arrested just now," Reul said, adding that the individual is being questioned and evidence has been seized.
The minister claimed that the suspect was associated with a home for refugees that was searched earlier in the day. However, police declined to comment on the matter.
An act of terror
Minster-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wuest described the stabbing attack as an act of terror on Saturday.
"This attack has struck at the heart of our country," the politician told reporters.
"The perpetrator must be quickly caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law," Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X yesterday.
Den Verletzten wünsche ich eine schnelle Genesung. Der Täter muss rasch gefasst und mit der vollen Härte des Gesetzes bestraft werden. (2/2)
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) August 24, 2024
The square was sealed off by police on Saturday where passers-by placed flowers and candles outside the barricades.
"We are full of shock and grief," Solingen Mayor Tim-Oliver Kurzbach told journalists.
German authorities have canceled the remainder of the weekend event.
