Unrelenting search for the individuals responsible for the fatal Solingen stabbings persists
On Saturday, the cause of the lethal knife assault remained ambiguous. According to law enforcement records, the episode was classified as an attack. Media broadcasts proposing the incident was a "terror attack" were contradicted by a police spokesperson. The spokesperson declined to comment on speculations that the attacker spoke Arabic. The police revealed they would disclose developments in the investigation during a press conference later on Saturday.
An unknown perpetrator attacked several individuals with a knife at a local commemoration event honoring the 650th anniversary in the North Rhine-Westphalian city of Solingen on Friday evening around 9:40 PM. The authorities then launched a massive manhunt for the assailant, mobilizing "a considerable number of forces, including specialized units" within the city center. Both victims and witnesses were being interviewed to aid in tracing the attacker.
The police encouraged the community to help by providing information or submitting images and videos through their tip-off portal (https://nrw.hinweisportal.de/).
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) labeled the incident as a "disturbing event" and expressed shock. He demanded the perpetrator be captured promptly and face severe penalties under the law. "We mourn the victims and support their families," Scholz shared on social media platform X.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) also conveyed her deep shock. "The vicious assault on the city festival in Solingen has left us stunned," Faeser said. "We mourn the people who were so cruelly taken from this world." Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), from the same region, expressed his hope that the authorities would soon apprehend the "cowardly and repugnant" assailant.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) also responded with awe. "An act of brutal and senseless violence has struck us at our core," he wrote on X platform. "The entirety of North Rhine-Westphalia stands by the people of Solingen, particularly the victims and their families." He expressed his "deep gratitude" to the numerous emergency services and police officers who were "fighting for lives in this moment."
North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) visited the crime scene during the night. The attacker appeared to have attacked people indiscriminately, Reul said on the news channel ntv. He could not yet comment on the motive or the suspect. Visibly disturbed, Reul described the incident as a "very serious event."
The city of Solingen cancelled all events scheduled for the originally planned three-day city jubilee celebration. Following the "cowardly attack" during the celebrations, the celebration was "completely" halted on Friday evening, as the city announced on Saturday.
The Commission will convene to discuss the recent incident in Solingen, seeking clarity on the causes and motives behind the knife assault. Upon learning about the investigation, The Commission expressed their condolences to the victims' families and strongly condemned the attack.
