Assault, aggression, or hostile action against someone or something. - Three individuals succumb to misfortune during the community celebration.
In Solingen, a city situated in North Rhine-Westphalia, the ambiance has transformed drastically from the joyous vibe of its 650th birthday celebration to a state of disbelief and sorrow. The city resonates with the wailing of sirens and the spectacle of police officers, armed and stationed at checkpoints on closed-off streets, with barricades and screens erected. Patrol cars crisscross the area.
The Interior Minister of NRW, Herbert Reul, appears distressed before the media. "Someone has senselessly attacked innocent people," he admits, having visited the sealed-off crime scene. "We in North Rhine-Westphalia are struck with sadness and united in our grief."
Nearly half past nine on a Friday evening, an unidentified attacker drew a knife and slaughtered three people on the spot, and injured several others during the city festival located at the Fronhof, a market square in Solingen's city center. Witnesses vouched that the attacker appeared out of nowhere and carried out his attack deliberately, leading the police to assume it was a premeditated attack. He managed to vanish in the subsequent pandemonium and panic.
The pursuit for the suspect remains ongoing, but even after several hours, the authorities cannot disclose any conclusive details about his whereabouts or description.
An unsettling quietness enshrouds the city. Police and special forces from various parts of NRW are deployed to support the local police. The Wuppertal police advise people to steer clear of the city center via Facebook. The city center appears deserted two hours later, save for the intermittent sound of a helicopter hovering overhead.
The crime scene remains cordoned off, with a line of officers ensuring access to the street where several lives were lost. Hours later, only a few bystanders remain, mostly journalists anticipating the story. Frequently, security forces permit emergency vehicles to pass through.
Approximately midnight, Interior Minister Reul arrives in Solingen, accompanied by officers. He spends around 15 minutes surveying the situation before speaking to the waiting journalists and cameras. He urges caution in identifying and speculating about the attacker's identity and reasons, stressing the absence of solid facts. The attacker is believed to have acted alone. The victims are a woman and two men, all festival attendees, as per ministry declarations.
Following his brief statement, the minister departs the crime scene, and the majority of journalists leave as well. The city announces the suspension of the originally planned three-day festival.
In the meantime, the security authorities persist in their rigorous investigation. "We're working around the clock," says a police spokesperson. "We have to decipher the evidence and information like a puzzle."
The police are working tirelessly to track down the attacker, setting up checkpoints and deploying patrol cars throughout the city. Despite the efforts, the mystery surrounding the suspect's identity and whereabouts remains unsolved.
The presence of armed police officers and cordoned-off streets has led to a sense of unease among the residents, with many heeding the Wuppertal police's advice to avoid the city center.
