An attacker stabs people seemingly at random at a city festival. What exactly happened in Solingen? And what do we know about the perpetrator or his motives?
An attacker apparently randomly attacked people with a knife at an anniversary celebration in the city of Solingen and killed three of them. Much is still unclear, including the identity of the perpetrator and his possible motive. An overview:
What we know
The crime: The unknown attacker suddenly began stabbing his victims on Friday evening at around 9:40 p.m. The police classify the crime as an attack because of the perpetrator’s targeted actions – and not as a rampage. Nevertheless, the authorities are not yet talking about a terrorist attack.
Possible accomplices: The police assume that there was a lone perpetrator.
The crime scene: Thousands of people celebrated the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city in the evening in Solingen’s city center. A stage was set up for the celebration on the well-attended Fronhof, a market square. The perpetrator struck directly in front of the stage.
The victims: According to the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of the Interior, the perpetrator appears to have attacked people at the party at random, choosing his victims at random. At the same time, however, he stabbed them very precisely in the neck. The victims were a woman and two men. Eight people were injured, five of them seriously. Nothing more was known about their condition or the identity of the victims until this morning.
The escape: The perpetrator managed to escape in the tumult and the initial panic that spread after the crime in the busy city center, as a spokesman for the NRW Interior Ministry explained. The police are still deployed with a large contingent, including special forces, and are looking for the man.
The witnesses: Many of the witnesses who were in the immediate vicinity of the incident are in shock, the police said. “We are currently providing them with professional support and we are of course interviewing them to get more precise information.” The police have also set up a website for tips, where witnesses to the incident can upload cell phone photos and videos (www.nrw.hinweisportal.de).
The warning: Anyone who sees anything suspicious should not act on their own initiative, but should call the emergency number 110, a police spokesman said. The police called on people in Solingen this morning to be careful in the city center.
The festival: The festival for the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city of Solingen was supposed to last from Friday to Sunday as a “Festival of Diversity”. After the attack, the city canceled the program items planned for this Saturday and Sunday.
What we don’t know
The perpetrator: Even around eleven hours after the crime, the police reportedly were unable to identify the perpetrator until Saturday morning.
The motive: There was initially no reliable evidence of the perpetrator’s motive. It therefore remained unclear whether the crime might have a terrorist background.
The escape: Under what circumstances the perpetrator aborted his attack and how exactly he escaped is not known.
The murder weapon: There was initially no information about the size or type of knife. It is also unclear whether the perpetrator disposed of the weapon or took it with him.
The danger: Is there a risk of another attack for the people of Solingen and the surrounding area? The perpetrator is unknown to the police and is on the run. Therefore, nothing can be ruled out.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
