- Solingen expresses grief - Steinmeier engages with the family
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Solingen, a city in the Bergisch region, for a memorial service honoring the victims of a knife attack. He was welcomed by the regional leader Hendrik Wüst (CDU), his deputy Mona Neubaur (Greens), and Mayoral figurehead Tim Kurzbach (SPD). Prior to the service, Steinmeier planned to converse privately with relatives of the alleged Islamist attacker, who claimed the lives of three individuals and wounded eight more, in a secretive and confidential setting. Following this, Steinmeier was set to deliver a speech at the city's Theater and Concert Hall. The German Parliament Speaker Bärbel Bas, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (both from the SPD) are anticipated to join the memorial event. Following the service, there would be a silent remembrance marked by a wreath-laying at the crime site in the city center.
On August 23, the attacker slashed three festival-goers in Solingen with a knife, leaving eight additional individuals with injuries. A 26-year-old Syrian refugee, who arrived in Germany via Bulgaria, is being held accountable for the assault. The authorities are currently investigating him for murder charges, as well as his suspected involvement in the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). His scheduled deportation to Bulgaria, which was originally set for 2023, failed to occur.
At the conclusion of the memorial service, Steinmeier and the other dignitaries will lay wreaths at the crime site as a silent tribute. In light of the ongoing investigation, it was decided that the funeral service for the victims would be held privately and discreetly.
