At the “Festival of Diversity” in Solingen, a man kills several people and flees. One day later, the security authorities announce a successful manhunt: the wanted suspect has been caught.
After the fatal knife attack in Solingen, the police have arrested a suspect. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) announced this late on Saturday evening in the ARD “Tagesthemen”. He spoke of a “real suspect” who had been sought all day. He is now being questioned. A spokesman for the state’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the man had turned himself in. “Spiegel” and “Bild” had previously reported on this.
With regard to a search of a refugee shelter, Reul said that this was the result of further information that had been used. “But that was not what we wanted. We spent the whole day following a hot lead.” This was then successfully followed up. “The person we were actually looking for all day has recently been in our custody.” According to Reul, he is someone “who we suspect to the highest degree.”
On Friday evening, a man apparently randomly stabbed bystanders at an anniversary celebration for the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city of Solingen – the “Festival of Diversity”. He then escaped in the tumult and initial panic. Two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman died. Eight people were injured, four of them seriously. The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack, but security authorities have not yet confirmed an Islamist motive.
Reul: We also found evidence
“I’m a little relieved at the moment,” said Reul after the wanted man’s arrest. “I can only tell you that it’s now more than just a guess. We not only had a lead on this person, but we also found evidence.”
According to “Spiegel” information, the man is a 26-year-old Syrian. He came to Germany at the end of December 2022 and applied for asylum. According to “Spiegel” information, he was not previously known to the security authorities as an Islamist extremist. This information was confirmed to the German Press Agency.
Islamic State: “Revenge for Muslims in Palestine”
The Islamic State claimed in a statement on its propaganda channel Amak that the attacker was an IS member and carried out the attack out of “revenge for Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere”. The attack was aimed at a “group of Christians”.
The Düsseldorf police also said they received a letter claiming responsibility from IS. Now they have to check whether this letter is genuine, said a police spokesman. Investigators pointed out that IS has often claimed responsibility for an attack in the past without there being any reliable evidence of collaboration with the perpetrator.
With “revenge for Muslims in Palestine,” IS is presumably referring to the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Neither IS nor the terrorist network Al-Qaeda have alliances with the Islamist Hamas. However, according to security authorities, the dangers posed by terrorism and radicalization in the Islamic world have increased as a result of the months-long war in Gaza. Alongside the USA, Germany is one of Israel’s most important allies and also one of its most important arms suppliers.
Public prosecutor: Terrorist-motivated act not ruled out
Regarding the background to the crime in Solingen, Chief Public Prosecutor Markus Caspers said at a press conference in Wuppertal on Saturday afternoon: “We have not been able to identify a motive so far, but given the overall circumstances, we assume that the initial suspicion of a terrorist-motivated crime cannot be ruled out.”
If there is increasing evidence of a terrorist crime, the Attorney General could consider taking over the case. Investigations are underway on suspicion of murder in three cases and attempted murder in conjunction with grievous bodily harm in a further eight cases, Caspers said.
Allegations against arrested 15-year-old
A 15-year-old youth had already been arrested. One possible charge against him is failure to report planned crimes. “According to witness statements, an as yet unknown person is said to have spoken to the youth shortly before the attack about intentions that would be consistent with the crime,” said Caspers.
Scholz: “Proceed with the full force of the law”
The crime in Solingen caused great concern throughout Germany. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz 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.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann announced that he would be holding discussions on the gun laws for knives. “We will now discuss in the federal government how we can further advance the fight against this type of knife crime,” the FDP politician told “Bild am Sonntag”. So far, the FDP has rejected Interior Minister Nancy Faeser’s (SPD) proposals for stricter bans.
The SPD is demanding a significant tightening of the laws. In public, knives should only be allowed to have a blade length of six centimeters instead of twelve centimeters. There should 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.
