Germany stabbings: Second arrest made as Islamic State claim responsibility
Police launched a large-scale manhunt for the perpetrator of a stabbing that killed three people in Solingen, ITV News' Ellie Pitt reports
Police in Germany have detained a second man after a knife attack at a festival in Solingen on Friday, which left three people dead.
Herbert Reul, the state internal affairs minister of North Rhein Westphalia, confirmed the person was the target of a manhunt which had been ongoing throughout Saturday.
He told television network ARD: "The person we have been searching for all day has been detained a short while ago."
"We have been following a hot lead all day."
He added the police have collected "pieces of evidence", and said the person is now being questioned.
It comes as Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, but have not provided any evidence for this.
The terror group said on its Amaaq news site that the attacker was a “soldier of the Islamic State” who targeted Christians “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.”
Earlier on Saturday, police arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with the incident, but said they do not believe he is the perpetrator.
A manhunt was ongoing throughout Saturday for the knifeman, who attacked attendees at a diversity festival on Friday night. Out of the eight people injured, five were seriously wounded.
Police began raiding a home for asylum seekers in the city center of Solingen, including with special forces, the German news agency DPA reported.
In a press conference today, prosecutor Markus Caspers said investigators are still looking into what was behind the attack, and that a terrorist motive has not been ruled out.
Police said the 15-year-old boy was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and not informing authorities, but he that he was not the attacker.
Witnesses alerted authorities shortly after 9.30pm last night to an unknown attacker having wounded several people indiscriminately with a knife on a central square, the Fronhof.
Police said the perpetrator was on the run, and they had only very little information on the man so far. They say they believe the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker.
A police spokesperson, Alexander Kresta, had said earlier the lack of information about the suspect was a “huge problem,” German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.
Special forces deployed to the active manhunt, police said, while locals in Solingen, about 15 miles east of Dusseldorf, have been warned to exercise caution and remain on alert, even as wellwishers leave flowers at the scene.
The attack took place during a “Festival of Diversity,” marking the city’s 650th anniversary, which was supposed to run for the whole weekend, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.
Following Friday's attack the city of around 160,000 people has cancelled the rest of the festival.
A DJ who was performing as the attack happened described how event security told him to keep playing to avoid panic breaking out.
In a statement on Instagram, he said: "I kept playing, even though it was incredibly hard. After ten to 15 minutes, the music was finally stopped, and people were informed about the incident.
"Since the attacker was still on the run, we hid in a nearby store while police helicopters circled above us."
One of the festival organizers, Philipp Müller, appeared on stage and asked festivalgoers to “go calmly."
"Please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn't been caught,” he added as he addressed crowds.
Local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt quoted Celine Derikartz, its reporter covering the festival, as saying that “the atmosphere is spooky.” She said a party atmosphere had turned to shock within minutes and she saw festivalgoers weeping.
At least eight people have sustained injuries, while police put the number of those seriously wounded at five. Authorities have given no information on the identities of the victims.
“None of us knows why” the attack took place, said Reul, who is the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state.
“I can't say anything about the motive now” and it isn't clear who the assailant was, he said, but the attacker left the scene “relatively quickly.”
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, said: “Last night our hearts were torn apart.
"We in Solingen are full of horror and grief. What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep."
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the perpetrator of the attack must be caught quickly and punished with the full force of the law."The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly. An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen’s mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families,” Scholz said on X.German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to the mayor of Solingen on Saturday morning.“The heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country. We mourn those killed and worry about those injured and I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart," Steinmeier said in a statement on Saturday.“The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. Let’s stand together — against hatred and violence.”
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German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: “We are deeply shocked by the brutal attack on the city festival in Solingen.
“Our security authorities are doing everything they can to catch the perpetrator and establish the background to the attack.”There has been concern about increased knife violence in Germany, with Ms Faeser recently proposing tougher weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6 centimetres to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12 centimetres that is currently allowed.
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