Manhunt continues in Germanywith a large deployment of forces, to locate and capture the man who last night randomly stabbed participants at a celebration to mark the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city of Solingen killing 3 people and injuring 8 othersAccording to Bild, the police are talking about an attack, the cause of which is still being defined. “All we know about the person who attacked is that he was a man. And the fact that he struck at random, in the midst of the melee, does not allow us to speculate on the terrorist theory for now,” they explained. “At the moment the police are questioning dozens of people who were at the town festival. The investigations are ongoing and we do not yet have a definitive identikit of the wanted person,” they added.
Some witnesses had described the stabber, who suddenly attacked some people in front of a stage, an Arab-looking manbut the circumstance has not yet been confirmed. The attack – reports Bild – occurred around 9:45 pm, Fronhof, in the center of Solingen, where live bands were playing. The victims are believed to be a woman and two men originally from Solingen and Düsseldorf.
The man allegedly pointed the knife deliberately at the necks of his victims, and this leads the police to believe – adds the German website – that it was a terrorist act and not an act of madness.
“The attacker stabbed people at random with a knife,” Chief Inspector Sascha Kresta, spokesman for the Wuppertal police, told Bild. “That’s why we’re currently assuming a terrorist attack. There are currently three fatally injured victims, five seriously injured and other people in shock. A large number of people are being searched for, while forensic investigations and witness interviews continued throughout the night.”
The town festival was canceled after the attack and a police helicopter is flying over the cordoned off area. Heavily armed units with around 40 special vehicles from all over North Rhine-Westphalia are stationed in Solingen. Road intersections have been closed and residents have been asked to stay in their homes and avoid the city center. A crisis unit has been set up temporarily in a bar.