At a “Festival of Diversity” an unknown person randomly stabs people and then escapes. The investigators arrest a man – but it is probably not the perpetrator.
Following the fatal knife attack in Solingen, the authorities plan to hold a press conference this afternoon to provide information on the status of the investigation and the police operation. According to dpa information, a man arrested early in the morning is not the perpetrator. However, the man is still in custody, police sources said.
The emergency services are conducting a large-scale search for the perpetrator, who was able to flee after the attack. Many questions, such as the motive, are still unanswered. The police have not yet released a description of the perpetrator.
Three people were killed in the attack on a city festival on Friday evening. Eight people were injured, five of them seriously. The police in North Rhine-Westphalia classified the act as an attack because of the perpetrator’s targeted approach. Politicians from various parties reacted with horror. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) demanded a harsh punishment for the perpetrator.
Faeser wants to visit the crime scene together with Wüst and Reul
The police and the public prosecutor’s office in Düsseldorf have invited people to the press conference in Wuppertal, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wuppertal’s police chief Markus Röhrl is also expected to attend, according to the Düsseldorf police.
At 5 p.m., Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD), North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst and State Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul (both CDU) are expected at the crime scene in Solingen.
According to the authorities, the perpetrator appears to have attacked passers-by indiscriminately, choosing his victims at random. According to the NRW Interior Ministry, however, he stabbed them very precisely in the neck. Nothing new is known about the condition of the injured.
The police call on the citizens of Solingen to be cautious
According to the Interior Ministry, the perpetrator managed to escape during the night, in the tumult and in the panic that initially spread after the crime. Investigators believe that the perpetrator was a lone perpetrator. The police continued to urge the population of Solingen to be cautious on Saturday morning.
The victims were probably visitors to the festival marking the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city of Solingen, the “Festival of Diversity”. The crime scene was the Fronhof, a market square in the city center where a stage had been set up for the anniversary celebrations, which was well attended at the time. The crime took place directly in front of the stage.
According to police, the attacker struck at around 9:37 p.m. A major alarm was raised shortly afterwards. At least one helicopter was in the air, numerous emergency vehicles with blue lights and ambulances were on the way, and streets were cordoned off over a wide area. Armed officers secured the scene.
Scholz: Proceed with the full force of the law
Chancellor Scholz and other top politicians were shocked. The Chancellor spoke of a “terrible crime”. “We cannot accept something like this in our society and we must never accept it. The full force of the law must be used here,” said the SPD politician at an event in Stahnsdorf, Brandenburg.
After a telephone conversation with Solingen’s mayor, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “The perpetrator must be held accountable. Let us stand together – against hatred and violence.”
Faeser recently announced tightening of gun laws
The police opened a portal where witnesses to the incident can upload cell phone photos and videos (www.nrw.hinweisportal.de). The city of Solingen, in turn, set up a hotline for citizens to ask about missing people (0212 – 290-2000). The police have received an increasing number of inquiries from concerned relatives, it was said.
In view of the increase in knife attacks, Interior Minister Faeser recently announced a tightening of gun laws. In public, knives with blades of up to six centimeters long will now be allowed, instead of the previous twelve centimeters. There will be a general ban on dangerous switchblades.
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.
