15 year old boy arrested in Solingen mass stabbing as police in Germany seek to arrest other suspects and refuse to share images of teenager following mass stabbing that left 3 dead, five seriously injured and a total of 8 wounded as manhunt is believed to still be underway.
Authorities in Germany have detained a 15 year old teenager in connection with Friday night’s mass stabbing which left three people dead and five seriously injured.
The arrest follows a ‘large scale’ overnight manhunt around the city of Solingen where the abrupt knife attack took place as the city was celebrating its 650 year anniversary.
Police were alerted by witnesses shortly after 9.30pm local time following reports of an un-known assailant stabbing attendees, in the city’s central square, the Fronhof, during what was billed as the ‘diversity’ festival meant to run until Sunday. Up to 80,000 attendees had been expected over the 3 day event.
A knife attack occurred in Solingen, Germany, during the celebration of the city’s 650th anniversary. Three people died, three were seriously injured and four others suffered injuries.
The attack took place in Fronhof square, in the city center. pic.twitter.com/dH1rOHlMS5— 🇸🇪Mrs Speaking out 🇸🇪❤️🇮🇱❤️🇺🇦❤️ (@luddesmamma72) August 23, 2024
Lone attacker?
With the assailant managing to evade capture, and a large manhunt ensuing, it wasn’t until Saturday afternoon, that authorities announced they had detained a ‘person of interest’ and said they were investigating whether that individual was connected with the attack.
Searches are also under way at various locations, police said. ‘The investigation and manhunt for possible further perpetrators and reasons for the crime are in full swing.’
Police have said they believe the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker. Information about the identities of the victims has not yet been released, nevertheless preliminary reports indicated one woman and two men fatally wounded.
The two male victims are reportedly 67 and 56 years old, the deceased woman 56. Eight other people were injured, four of them seriously.
“We cannot rule out terrorist motives”
German authorities are holding a news conference after a stabbing at a festival which left three people dead, revealing a 15-year-old has been detained in connection with the incident
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Terrorism motivated?
While police have declined to give a description of the 15 year old and their identity, authorities sought to confirm that the person brought into custody level of involvement and whether they were the knifesman.
Police said they are still trying to establish a motive but they cannot rule out terrorism.
Prosecutor Markus Caspers said that police are looking at a terror motive, adding that there’s no other obvious motive and that the attacker appears to be unknown to the victims.
Asked about speculation that the attacker targeted people’s necks, police confirmed that it was a ‘very targeted attack’ at people’s throats.
Police said there was no specific terror threat before the festival and there was not a large security zone in place.
Not immediately clear is whether the manhunt was still underway and if authorities were seeking to bring others into custody.
‘Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned,’ authorities said.
Earlier in the day, police issued a warning urging people to stay vigilant, even as well-wishers started to leave flowers at the scene.
Solingen has about 160,000 residents and is near the bigger city of Dusseldorf and Germany‘s border with the Netherlands.
