After the attack on a city festival in Solingen, the police are continuing to search for the perpetrator. A large number of people are being searched for, the Düsseldorf police announced on Saturday morning. Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned. Three people were killed and eight people were injured in the knife attack, five of them seriously. “Our security authorities are doing everything they can to catch the perpetrator,” said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
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During the town festival, an as yet unknown man attacked several people with a knife on Friday evening at around 9:40 p.m. The victims were deliberately stabbed in the neck, police said. The man managed to escape in the tumult and the initial panic that spread after the attack, said a spokesman for the NRW Interior Ministry.
According to police, there is currently no precise description of the suspect. Investigators assume that there is a single perpetrator.
Photo gallery: Attack on city festival in Solingen: 3 dead
TOPSHOT-GERMANY-CRIME-FESTIVAL-SOLINGEN (Foto: INA FASSBENDER (AFP)) Bild 1/38
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Thousands of visitors at the festival
According to the “Solinger Tageblatt”, the authorities called on citizens to leave the city center. The festival was over for the time being. Sirens could be heard all around the city center. Thousands of visitors followed the request to leave the square quietly and not to panic. “People are shocked, but left the square peacefully,” said Philipp Müller, one of the festival’s co-organizers, according to the report. The Düsseldorf police, meanwhile, continued to urge the population to be cautious: “People in the city center should be careful,” said a spokesman.
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Solingen-born DJ Tobias Topic described on his Instagram account with more than 200,000 followers how he experienced his performance at the festival in his home town. “Everything went unbelievably, after that I spontaneously played at Solingen’s 650th anniversary celebration,” he wrote. “Then after just ten or 15 minutes someone came on stage and said: ‘Hey, we don’t know what’s going on. It was probably a stabbing. Please just carry on, we don’t want mass panic.'” He then continued playing and acted as if nothing had happened. A few minutes later the music was turned off. The DJ emphasized that he was thinking of all the victims of the attack.
In Germany, the attack triggered numerous shocked reactions. “We must not accept something like this in our society and never accept it. The full force of the law must be used here,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). “The brutal attack on the town festival in Solingen has shocked us deeply,” said Interior Minister Faeser (SPD). “Bad, terrible news from Solingen,” said Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens). Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens), Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and CDU leader Friedrich Merz were also shocked.
Photo: Thomas Banneyer (dpa)
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Photo: Thomas Banneyer (dpa)
A “Festival of Diversity” began on Friday to mark the 650th anniversary of the city of Solingen. It was supposed to last until Sunday, but was ended on Saturday night in the wake of the events. The remaining program items were canceled, according to a statement.
This article was last updated on August 24, 2024, 11:52 a.m.
