A woman kneels at a makeshift memorial of flowers and candles for the victims on August 24, 2024, close to the spot where at least three people were killed and several injured when a man went on a knife attack in Solingen, western Germany, on August 23, 2024. | Photo credit: AFP
German police on Sunday (August 25, 2024) said that a 26-year-old man has surrendered himself and claimed he was behind the deadly attack in Solingen. Three people killed in knife attack A shooting broke out at a ceremony marking the city’s 650th anniversary, leaving eight people injured.
Dusseldorf police said in a joint statement with the prosecutor’s office that the man “reported that he was responsible for the attack,” adding that he had been arrested previously, but did not provide details. The statement said that “this man’s involvement in the crime is currently being thoroughly investigated.”
On Saturday (August 25, 2024) Islamic State terrorist group It claimed responsibility for the attack but did not provide evidence. The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that he carried out the attacks on Friday night “to take revenge on Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” The claim could not be independently verified.
Authorities previously said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicions that he knew about the planned attack and did not inform authorities, but was not the attacker. Two female witnesses told police they heard the boy and an unidentified man talking about intentions related to bloodshed before the attack, authorities said.
Police were alerted to a man stabbing several people on the city’s central square, Fraunhof, just after 9:30 p.m. local time on Friday. The three people killed included two men, ages 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police said the attacker deliberately aimed at his victims’ throats.
Solingen, a city of about 160,000 inhabitants near the larger cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf, was holding a “festival of diversity” to celebrate its anniversary. It began on Friday and was to run until Sunday, offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics on several stages on the central streets. The attack happened in front of one of the stages.
The festival was cancelled as police searched for clues in the cordoned off square.