Man surrenders to police and confesses to mass stabbings
A 26-year-old man has surrendered and confessed to carrying out a mass stabbing at a street festival in Germany, police reported on Sunday.
“The involvement of this individual is currently being thoroughly investigated,” prosecutors and Düsseldorf police stated in a joint release.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the suspect for “participating in a terrorist organization.”
The attack, which took place during a festival in Solingen celebrating the city’s 650th anniversary, left three people dead and eight others injured. Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the incident as a “horrific act.”
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday, though no evidence linking the group to the suspect has been provided.
The victims included two men, aged 56 and 67, and a 56-year-old woman. Four of the injured remain in critical condition, with all victims suffering neck wounds, according to police.
“The man we had been searching for throughout the day is now in custody,” said North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul, speaking to ARD public television late Saturday.
Germany’s Bild and Spiegel news outlets reported that the suspect turned himself in, dressed in dirty, blood-stained clothing.
The man was identified as Syrian, with reports indicating he arrived in Germany in December 2022 after fleeing his war-ravaged homeland.
Bild also revealed that special task force (SEK) officers raided a refugee center linked to the suspect, where another individual was detained. Additionally, police arrested a 15-year-old boy alleged to have known about the attack beforehand.
The refugee center is situated around 300 meters (984 feet) from Solingen’s central market square, Fronhof, where the stabbings occurred on Friday night, according to Bild.
Solingen, a city renowned for its steel industry, has a population of about 160,000 and is located approximately 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Düsseldorf.
Authorities in the city urged residents to vacate the Fronhof area after the attack, which happened around 10:00 p.m. local time on Friday.
The city’s planned three-day anniversary celebrations, which were expected to attract about 75,000 visitors, were canceled following the incident.
Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach expressed deep sorrow, stating, “All of us in Solingen are in shock, horror, and great sadness.”
“It breaks my heart that such an attack occurred in our city. I feel immense grief for the lives lost and tears well up when I think of them.”
“I am praying for those still fighting for their lives, and I extend my deepest sympathies to everyone affected by this tragedy. The images they witnessed must have been horrifying.”
Residents have been gathering at the site of the attack, leaving flowers and candles in remembrance of the victims.
Players in Germany’s top Bundesliga football league wore black armbands during Saturday’s matches in a show of solidarity.
