German police yet to identify attacker who stabbed 3 to death at festival despite major manhunt

(CNN) — A major manhunt is underway in Germany after an attacker stabbed to death three people at a festival on Friday evening in the western city of Solingen but police say they are yet to identify the suspect.

Police said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on Saturday in connection with the attack, but said he was not the alleged attacker, understood to be a lone male. A second person was arrested following a police operation at a home for refugees in Solingen, Reuters reported later on Saturday. However, police did not provide more details on the individual or their connection to the incident.

Those killed in the attack have been revealed as two men aged 67 and 56, and a woman aged 56. Eight others were injured, including four with life-threatening injuries.

A motivation for the attack, which has sent shockwaves through the country, has not yet been determined and terrorism has not been ruled out. While Islamic State claimed responsibility, it offered no evidence to back up its claim.

A police spokesman, Thorsten Fleiß, said the attacker specifically targeted the necks of his victims. “After evaluating the initial images, we assume that it was a very targeted attack on the neck,” he said during a press conference.

An unknown perpetrator armed with a knife attacked several people at random at a central square in the city of Solingen on Friday evening, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Düsseldorf, police said.

The suspect remained on the run on Saturday, with special forces deployed to the active manhunt, police said. Officers stressed in Saturday’s press conference that there are “extensive search measures” in place throughout the German state of North Rhine Westphalia.

Locals in Solingen have been warned to exercise caution and remain on alert.

Little is known about who was responsible. Police still do not have a clear image of the suspect and are seeking further information to aid them in their search.

Crowds had gathered at the square in Solingen Friday to celebrate the “Festival of Diversity,” a three-day event marking the 650th anniversary of the city’s founding. Police say the attack happened close to the stage where a musical act was performing.

Eyewitness Lars Breitzke said the attack happened just meters away from him. Speaking to local newspaper the Solinger Tageblatt, Breitzke said he realized something was wrong by the expression on the face of the singer on stage. Then, he said, “a person just meters away from me fell down.”

German DJ Topic was performing nearby and wrote on his Instagram he was asked to keep performing “to avoid causing a mass panic.” Topic added that he and others then hid in a nearby store while police helicopters circled above.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the attack.

“The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that I find very upsetting,” he wrote on X. “An assassin has brutally killed several people.”

Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said authorities were “doing everything they can to apprehend the perpetrator and determine the background to the attack.”

The city’s mayor, Tim Kurzbach, said: “This evening, all of us in Solingen are experiencing shock, horror, and great sadness.”

“We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we have to mourn the dead and injured,” he wrote on Solingen’s Facebook page.

According to the festival’s website, Friday was the start of the three-day “Festival of Diversity,” which would include music, food, performances, and family-friendly entertainment.

Bergisch Symphony Orchestra, the shared orchestra for the cities of Solingen and Remscheid, was scheduled to play on the main stage on Friday.

Friday’s attack comes amid rising rates of knife crime in Germany, recently prompting Interior Minister Faeser to propose tightened laws to tackle the issue.

Police data shows that there were 8,951 incidents of knife crime that caused serious bodily harm in Germany in 2023 – 791 cases more than the previous year.

This story has been updated with additional information. Reporting contributed by CNN’s Melissa Gray

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