Day after knife attack in Solingen, police in the dark, terrorism not ruled out

AFPPolice in Solingen, one day after the fatal knife attack

NOS News•yesterday, 16:04•Modified yesterday, 17:39

A day after the deadly knife attack in the German city of Solingen, the police are still in the dark about the perpetrator. There is no clear description yet. “Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned,” said police chief Thorsten Fleiß during a press conference.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested this morning. Shortly before the crime, two witnesses heard a conversation between the boy and another person. It is still unclear whether that other person was the attacker. The boy is not suspected of committing the attack, but of not reporting planned crimes.

Bild wrote earlier today about an arrest that was made this morning around 08:30 in a house in the city center of Solingen. A door was blown up and a special police unit entered the house. It is not clear whether this concerns the arrest of the 15-year-old boy.

Targeted attack

The attack took place last night during a celebration of the 650th anniversary of the city of Solingen. A man stabbed around him on a square in the city center. Three people were killed and eight injured, five of whom are seriously injured.

The police assume that it is an attack and do not rule out a terrorist motive. The man attacked people in a targeted manner, stabbing his victims in the neck. The attack took place right in front of the stage where a band was playing.

An eyewitness who was on Fronhof Square during the attack tells the Solinger Tageblatt that he could see from the singer on stage that something was wrong. “And then someone a meter next to me suddenly fell down,” he says. When he turned around he saw more people lying on the ground in pools of blood.

In the city center, residents laid flowers for the victims this afternoon:

Solingen residents lay flowers after fatal knife attack: ‘Could have happened to any of us’

Festival organizer Philipp Müller heard from his security staff that the attack had happened “insanely quickly” and that the perpetrator had disappeared in no time. According to him, the man stormed down a staircase next to the church, which is located directly on the square. Then he came to the Hauptstraße, from where he was able to escape in four directions. “He knew the way very well,” says Müller. According to the organizer, the perpetrator had “a big knife.”

Police say several knives have been seized and are currently being examined as possible evidence. According to the German newspaper Bild a suspected stabbing weapon belonging to the perpetrator was found 200 meters from the scene of the attack.

National search

After the attack last night, a large police operation was launched in Solingen. Police throughout Germany are now looking for the perpetrator. Solingen is relatively close to the Dutch border; Roermond is just over an hour’s drive away. The police in Limburg say they are monitoring the situation and are in contact with their colleagues in Germany.

All events in the city have been canceled through Sunday, with memorial services planned for tonight and tomorrow.