German police make second arrest in Solingen attack, where ISIS claims responsibility

The suspect remains at large after the attack at an open-air festival in the German city of Solingen on Friday night left three people dead and eight injured. Author identity not yet determined The search and capture continued, with SWAT teams joining the operation throughout the day. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack This Saturday late afternoon.

IS confirmed in a statement on its Telegram account that the attack was carried out by one of its members “Revenge for Palestinians and Muslims around the world”He did not provide any evidence to support his statements and his relationship to the attackers was unclear.

German police reported late in the afternoon that they were taking action to enter a building in the city of Solingen. It is a house for asylum seekers in the town center. “We received a tip-off,” a police spokesman said. Second arrest The spokesman added that he could not provide further details about the individual or his relationship to the incident.

“When the evidence is put together, an arrest will be made. When we get the results of the arrest, we will be able to say more,” the spokesman added. He refused to confirm whether the arrested person could be the perpetrator of the attack at the insistence of the media.

In the morning, a teenager around 15 years old was arrested for possible relationship with the man. attack. Minors suspected of having Prior knowledge of the event and failure to take action to prevent itbut researchers They don’t believe it was the attacker.is considered to be acting alone.

Markus Kaspers, head of the Central Anti-Terrorism Prosecution Office in North Rhine-Westphalia, told a news conference that the boy was Two witnesses They contacted the police. They said they heard Conversation between boy and stranger Before the attack, there was talk of its intentions Consistent with the facts after.

According to media reports, the attacker later said: “I’m going to stab everyone to death today!”The teenager, who is from Kyrgyzstan, is being held at a refugee centre where he lives with his family. He is still at the police station. He refuses to testify. “We only know that he spoke to one person, but we are not sure if that person was the attacker,” Kaspers said.

Both the prosecutor’s office and police gave the best possible account of the attack, which took place in the city center. “Attack” and major operations have been deployed With the support of numerous armed agents, special vehicles and helicopters Find the person responsible.

Markus Kaspers of the prosecutor’s office’s counter-terrorism unit said “so far we have not been able to establish a motive, but given the overall circumstances we cannot rule out” the possibility of terrorism, although he did not provide further details.

Prosecutor’s office does not rule out Islamic motives

Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office, the only one handling terrorism cases, showed up in Solingen expecting the attack to have an Islamist motive. He was preparing to take charge of an attack that shocked the nation for its brutality.

The police were very reluctant to report their progress Avoid interference with investigationsHowever, in the latest developments, two related weapons that may have been used in the attack have been discovered. A knife with a 20 cm blade.

It appeared in a trash can about 200 meters from the scene of the incident, and according to a video in the hands of the police, it was an intentional homicide. As has already appeared, in the recording it can be observed Someone who looks for the neck and aims for the jugular vein.

Thorsten Fleiss, head of police operations, said: “The victims were all strangers and had no connection. That’s why we thought from the beginning that this could be an act of terror.” “In the images of the attack, the stabbings were very precisely aimed at the victim’s neck and there was no apparent motive other than murder,” they said.

The retired police chief was questioned by different local TV stations, hoping that there would be enough marks on the knife to allow DNA testing And enough “smell” of the attacker so that the dog can at least determine where and how he is fleeing.

Investigators are working against the clock, despite support from the entire political class and from Interior Minister Nancy Fasser, a Social Democrat, who travelled to Solingen on Saturday to see the situation for herself.

“The perpetrators must be caught swiftly and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”The German Chancellor said: Olaf Scholz. Security forces believe this is a Terrorist Attacks It was not an act of madness as first thought.

The three dead were two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman, according to authorities.

The first description has been given. Bild Insist that researchers They are looking for men between 20 and 30 years oldHe is between 1.70m and 1.75m tall, southern appearance, athletic complexion, and a short, thick beard. At the time of the attack, he was wearing black clothes and a hat. In the first description, a man with Arab appearance is mentioned.

Interior Minister Nancy Fesser said: “Every effort is being made to find the perpetrators of the brutal attack in Solingen and to establish the motive for the crime. The police in North Rhine-Westphalia, where Solingen is located, are being supported.” The federal government has also asked anyone who filmed the concert where the attack took place on their mobile phone to do so. Dump the image on a page created specifically for this purpose, in case the attacker is present there.

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The DJ who was performing at the time of the Solingen attack revealed that he was asked to continue performing “to avoid mass panic”

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The DJ who was performing at the time of the Solingen attack revealed that he was asked to continue performing “to avoid mass panic”

A police spokesman said the biggest problem facing investigators was that there was “little reliable information about the attacker”. Witnesses near the scene of the incident were shocked. There are still no clues in the mystery of the stabbing attack in Solingen, so it is not clear whether the perpetrator acted alone or had allies. There is also no indication of his whereabouts.

“The attackers stabbed people at random. That’s why now We start with the attack“We are very proud of the fact that the attackers were very active in the fight against the virus,” said Chief Sascha Kresta, a spokesman for the Wuppertal police, noting that according to his information, the attackers Deliberately attempting to injure the victim’s neck.

The incident occurred on Friday night when Concerts are part of the festival Celebrating the city’s 650th anniversary Solingen. Mark local diary solinger daily Shortly after 9:30 p.m., a member of the group took the stage to interrupt the event, which began with a light show and concert in a downtown square.

“I don’t want to alarm you, stay calm. But we have had a knife attack, multiple people have been injured and we have to interrupt the festival. Please go home slowly,” said a festival director. Philipp Muller.

“In Solingen we were all shocked. We wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary, now we must mourn the dead and mourn the injured. I have tears in my eyes and my heart is broken. I think of those who died and pray for those who are still fighting for their lives,” said the mayor of Solingen. Tim Kurtzbach, on Facebook.

Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Hendrik Siester, He said on his X account that the entire “land” was now in despair and mourning. “This was a brutal and senseless act of violence that strikes deeply into our hearts,” he said.

Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Ruhl, He has moved to Solingen. “One hopes that what is seen here is not real. My thoughts are with the victims and the injured. We can only hope that the seriously injured can be rescued.”

Solingen’s 650th anniversary celebrations to be held this weekend There were at least 80,000 visitors. The festival will continue until Sunday and feature a variety of concerts and performances.

German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Feathersaid she was “deeply” shocked by the “brutal attack,” the circumstances of which have yet to be clarified.

“We are deeply shocked by the brutal attack during the Solingen Festival and the security services are doing everything they can to arrest the perpetrators and establish the context of the attack,” the minister wrote in X.

A few days ago, stage Concerned about a rise in knife attacks, especially near train stations, he called for a change in the law to only allow the use of bladed weapons. Six centimeters maximum on public transport. Instead of the currently permitted 12 cm.

According to police statistics, there were 9,000 stabbing cases in Germany in 2023, an increase of 5.6% over the previous year.

Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party accused Immigration policy The increase in cases.

“We have a Foreign crime surges, Juvenile crime, immigrant violence, because we have open borders. “Alice Weidel, an outlier in the AfD party, criticized the German television channel ZDF last July.

Last May, a police officer was murdered in Manhain Hands of Afghan refugees I turned on the alarm again. The officer was stabbed by a knife-wielding attacker who attacked a known anti-Islamic militant and four other people.