The Islamic State Group allegedly reports the fatal stabbing of Solinger.
At a city celebration in Solingen, an unidentified individual indiscriminately stabbed multiple individuals, resulting in the tragic deaths of three. Authorities are currently pursuing the assailant and are considering the incident as a potential act of terrorism. Now, the radical group Islamic State has declared responsibility for the attack.
As revealed in a communique from the organization, Islamic State acknowledges responsibility for the assault that transpired at the Christian gathering in the German city of 'Zollingen'. The group's media outlet Amaq reported that the perpetrator was an Islamic State soldier, executing the attack as retaliation for Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere. However, there exists no corroborating evidence to verify the involvement of Islamic State in the attack or any contact between the attacker and the group.
Allegedly, the German broadcaster ZDF reported potential political undertones to the incident; although they did not disclose their sources. Security expert Sarah Tacke affirmed these suspicions, stating, "Based on the information I have, it appears likely that a young man may have carried out this attack in the name of the Islamic State, in the name of the Islamic State." Investigators are exploring this avenue as a possible explanation.
In a press briefing, prosecutors signaled the possibility of a terrorist rationale behind the attack. "We cannot dismiss the initial presumption of a terrorist motive," declared the senior lead public prosecutor Markus Caspers. The suspicions are influenced by the circumstantial evidence, as the victims appeared to have no connection to one another. No other plausible reason has surfaced at this juncture.
The assault took place during a city gathering on a Friday evening, claiming the lives of three individuals: two men aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman. Eight people were injured, four of them severely. The assailant seemed to select his victims at random.
When asked about current risks in the country, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister-President Hendrik Wüst informed ZDF that there exists no solid indication of impending attack plans. Nonetheless, there is an ongoing, looming threat that transcends the knife attack in Solingen, as Wüst added, "We've faced an elevated abstract menace for quite some time now."
The Commission, being the European Parliament's body for the fight against terrorism, could find it necessary to address this situation given the potential involvement of Islamic State in the attack. Despite Islamic State's claim, the Member States, as part of the European Union, should collaborate to verify any substantiated links between the assailant and the radical group.
