SOLINGEN, Germany — Authorities in western Germany launched a manhunt on Saturday for a suspect who fatally stabbed three people and injured several others during a festival in the city of Solingen. The attack, which took place on Friday evening, has left the community in shock as police work to apprehend the unknown assailant.
The stabbing occurred around 9:40 p.m. local time during a celebration marking the 650th anniversary of Solingen, a city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The festival, held in the Fronhof, a historic market square, featured live bands and attracted a large crowd. The motive for the attack remains unclear, and police have not yet identified the perpetrator.
According to police, eight people were injured in the attack, five of them seriously. In a statement issued early Saturday, police said they were questioning victims and witnesses and had deployed a large team to search for the suspect.
“The perpetrator must be quickly caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, assured the public that security authorities were doing everything possible to capture the attacker and investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
During the attack, a German musician known as Topic was performing on a nearby stage. He later posted on Instagram that he was informed of the situation but was asked to continue playing to prevent mass panic.
On Saturday, police cordoned off the area around the market square, where residents and passers-by placed candles and flowers in remembrance of the victims.
“We are full of shock and grief,” Solingen Mayor Tim-Oliver Kurzbach said during a press conference on Saturday morning, expressing the city’s sorrow over the tragic event.
