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Germany knife attack leaves 3 dead, 4 injured, manhunt for Arabic man underway

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Solingen knife attack in Germany leaves 3 dead, 9 injured, manhunt for Arabic suspect
Solingen knife attack in Germany leaves 3 dead, 9 injured, manhunt for Arabic suspect (yet to be confirmed) underway as German city is placed on lockdown.
Solingen knife attack in Germany leaves 3 dead, 9 injured, manhunt for Arabic suspect
Solingen knife attack in Germany leaves 3 dead, 9 injured, manhunt for Arabic suspect (yet to be confirmed) underway as German city is placed on lockdown.

Solingen knife attack in Germany leaves 3 dead, 4 injured, manhunt for Arabic man underway during diversity festival as city is placed on lockdown following mass stabbing. No known motive.

A festival celebrating 650 years of ‘diversity’ in the western German city of Solingen has gone from merriment to horror and panic following an mass knife attack, Friday night that left multiple dead and several injured as authorities now seek to arrest a suspect who fled the scene.

German media reported an un-identified man stabbing passers-by circa 9.45pm local time, during the festival in the center of Solingen, leaving 3 dead, four people with life threatening injuries before fleeing the scene.

Police helicopters were seen hovering above the city.

No known motive for seemingly random stabbing attack in German city

Local media spoke to one eyewitness, who said it was during singer Suzan Köcher‘s set when he saw a person ‘fall over just a meter away’.

Lars Breitzke speaking to German media said he thought it was a drunk person but – noting the expression of shock on the singer’s face – he turned and saw several others on the floor amid ‘pools of blood’.

City authorities asked people to leave the area as police imposed security cordons.

Emergency crews at the scene were treating the injured, media reports stated. 

Local media reported festival organisers, Philipp Müller saying on a stage that emergency workers were fighting for the lives of nine people.

Unconfirmed reports cited witnesses saying the attacker was a lone individual believed to be of Arabic heritage. No known motive was immediately known.

Solingen has about 160,000 inhabitants and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf in Germany. The festival which had marked the 650th anniversary of the city was earmarked as a 3 day event had amassed large revelers in the normally quite city and had been scheduled to end Sunday.

Mayor Tim-Oliver Kurzbach said the city was ‘in shock, horror and great sadness’. 

‘We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we have to mourn the deaths and injuries.

‘It breaks my heart that there was an attack on our city. I have tears in my eyes when I think of those we have lost. I pray for all those who are still fighting for their lives.

‘I also have great sympathy with all the people who had to witness this; it must have been a terrible sight. I thank all the rescue and security forces for their efforts. I ask you, if you believe, to pray with me and if not, to hope with me.’

The attack occurred amid a heated political debate about rising knife violence in German cities.

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