German Special Police Forces in Solingen in search of the suspects. Photograph: Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters
German police are searching for a suspect after a knife attack at a festival in Solingen left three people dead and eight others injured. The incident occurred on Friday night during a celebration marking the city’s 650th anniversary, an event billed as a “festival of diversity.”
The attacker, described only as a male, fled the scene after the attack, which took place in the central square of Solingen, a city located in western Germany. “We are still searching for the perpetrator with a large team,” the police said in a statement on Saturday, adding that five of the injured are in serious condition.
Witnesses reported that the attack happened around 9:30 p.m. near a live-music stage where thousands had gathered. One witness, Lars Breitzke, told a local newspaper, Solinger Tageblatt, that he was only a few meters away when he noticed something was wrong. “I understood from the expression on the singer’s face that something was wrong,”
Breitzke said. “And then, a meter away from me, a person fell. I thought it was someone who was drunk, but when I turned around, I saw other people lying on the ground and several pools of blood.”
Emergency services quickly responded to the scene, and witnesses who were in shock received care while giving their statements. Police have set up a website for people to send in footage or information that might help in identifying the suspect.
Germany’s Federal Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach, expressed his hope that rescue teams would be able to save the lives of those who were seriously injured. He also condemned the perpetrator, calling him “cowardly and pathetic.”
North Rhine-Westphalia’s regional premier, Hendrik Wüst, visited the site of the attack early on Saturday and expressed his solidarity with the people of Solingen. “All of North Rhine-Westphalia stands with the people in Solingen, above all with the victims and their families. Huge thanks to the many rescue workers and our police who are in these minutes fighting for people’s lives,” Wüst said
The festival, which began on Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday, attracted around 10,000 people. Most of the victims were believed to have been attacked directly in front of the stage.
Following the incident, the festival organizer announced that the rest of the event would be canceled. “We’ve just informed all the artists and stand operators,” said the organizer, identified as Müller.
Solingen’s Mayor, Tim-Oliver Kurzbach, expressed deep sorrow over the attack. “We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together, and now we have to mourn the deaths and injuries,”
Kurzbach said. “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.”
The attack has attracted a wider conversation in Germany about rising knife violence, an issue that has become increasingly politicized. In May, a similar knife attack occurred in Mannheim, where a man injured six people, including a police officer who later died from his injuries.
Authorities are continuing their efforts to locate the suspect, urging anyone with information to come forward. “We hope to receive information about the assailant, particularly his appearance, so that we can make the manhunt more targeted,” a police spokesperson said.