The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a knife attack at a German music festival that left three dead and five seriously injured.
The stabbings took place at around 9:40pm on Friday night (August 23) at the Festival of Diversity in Solingen in western Germany. Early police reports said they believed the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker, who then fled the scene, leading to a huge manhunt in the area overnight.
Earlier today it was reported that a 15-year-old had been arrested in connection with the attack. Per Sky News, at an afternoon press conference in nearby Wuppertal today, Düsseldorf police confirmed the arrest, urged people to avoid online speculation about the attack, and asked anybody with evidence to submit it using the official helpline.
In a press conference, police stated that the arrested 15-year-old is not believed to be the prime suspect, who is still unknown.
Public prosecutor Markus Caspers said: “He is at this point only suspected of failing to report a crime.” He added that the suspect was alleged to have spoken with the perpetrator “shortly before the crime”.
They then made a second arrest, following a police operation at a home for refugees in Solingen, The Guardian reported. A police spokesperson said they could not provide any more details on the individual or the connection to the incident.
Now, The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a statement on their Telegram account, they said that the attack was carried out by one of its members “in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere”, per Reuters.
They did not immediately provide any evidence and it is not yet clear how close any relationship between the attacker and Islamic State was. Accounts and individuals claiming to speak for the Islamic State have falsely claimed responsibility for attacks in the past.
Police said they do not yet know the suspect’s motive and they were unable to rule out a “terrorist” motive, but they did state that they do not believe anyone else was involved in the attack.
Local authorities had been seeking tips overnight from the public to find the perpetrator of the attacks, which appeared to be indiscriminate.
People had been gathering in a market square in Solingen with live bands playing as part of the festival, which was organised to mark the 650th anniversary of the city in North Rhine-Westphalia, situated around 15 miles east of Düsseldorf.
Local authorities have said, in addition to the three deceased, a total of eight further people have been wounded, five of them seriously.
“Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned,” they said. “The police are currently searching for the perpetrator with a large team.”
People were asked to leave the Fronhof market area in the aftermath of the attacks, with emergency crews attending to those injured and roads being shut down,
The mayor of the city, Tim-Oliver Kurzbach posted online that the city was in “shock, horror and great grief”.
“We all wanted to celebrate our town’s anniversary together and now we have to mourn the dead and injured,” he wrote.
He went on to thank the emergency services for their work at the scene. “It tears my heart apart 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,” he said.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz also said he was “shocked” by the “terrible event”, and wished a “speedy recovery” to those injured. “The perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law,” he added.
The Festival of Diversity had been set to run until Sunday with 25,000 people expected to attend each night, but it has now been cancelled.
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