Islamic State claims responsibility for knife attack in Germany that left three dead

The militant terrorist group “Islamic State” claimed responsibility on Saturday for a knife attack in the German town of Solingen in which three people were killed and eight others injured at a well-attended festival marking the city's 650th anniversary.

On its news site, the group said the attacker was targeting Christians and was an “Islamic State soldier” who carried out the attack “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere else.”

The Islamic State's claim could not be immediately verified. No evidence was provided to support the group's statements.

The police then arrested a suspect, said the Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia early Sunday local time.

“We have been following a hot lead all day,” Herbert Reul told Tagesschau, the ARD news program. “The person we have been looking for all day was recently arrested,” he said.

He is being questioned, said Reul, adding that the police have collected “evidence”.

Officials said a 15-year-old boy had been arrested early Saturday. Police said he was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and not informing authorities. However, the attacker was not himself.

According to authorities, the three dead were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman. Police said the attacker apparently aimed specifically at his victims' throats.

“We are seeing the first signs of a new wave of terrorist attacks,” said Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at King's College London. He said the Islamic State was “trying to capitalize on the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip” that began after Hamas's October 7 attack in southern Israel, “although strictly speaking [Islamic State] had nothing to do with it.”

“The type of attack we saw in Solingen is exactly the type of attack that [Islamic State] It calls on people on the Internet to attack ‘infidels’ with simple means such as cars and knives,” Neumann told the Associated Press. “In this way, it tries to create the impression that [the militant group] is everywhere and could strike at any time.”

Thorsten Fleiss of the German police, who served as operations commander on Friday evening, said that police were conducting search and investigation operations throughout the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Fleiss also said police found several knives but could not confirm whether any of them were used in the attack.

Police had urged the public to remain vigilant, even as well-wishers began laying flowers at the scene. Authorities set up an online portal where witnesses could upload videos and other information relevant to the attack.

Solingen's churches opened their doors to provide space for prayer and emergency pastoral care.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser visited Solingen on Saturday evening. She said the federal government would do everything it could to support the city and its citizens.

“We will not allow such a terrible attack to divide our society,” she said together with North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst and State Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul.

Reul appealed to the population to “give the police time” so that they could do their job. He also announced that police presence would be increased at larger events.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Friday, the police were alerted because an attacker had injured several people with a knife on the Fronhof, a central square in the city.

“Last night our hearts were torn apart. We in Solingen are filled with horror and sadness. What happened in our city yesterday is making it hard for us to sleep,” said Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach to journalists near the crime scene on Saturday.

The festival of diversity, marking the city's 650th anniversary, began on Friday and is scheduled to run until Sunday. Live music, cabaret and acrobatics will be offered on several stages in the central streets.

The attack occurred in the crowd in front of a stage. Hours later, the stage lights were still on while police and forensic investigators searched the cordoned-off area for clues. The rest of the festival was canceled. Solingen, with its approximately 160,000 inhabitants, is located near the major cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf.

Markus Caspers from the anti-terror department of the public prosecutor's office said at the press conference that the 15-year-old was arrested after two witnesses contacted the police. They had overheard a conversation between the boy and an unknown person before the attack in which intentions were discussed that were consistent with the events that followed.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the attacker must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law.

“The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me deeply. An attacker brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen's mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and support their families,” Scholz said on X.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke with Kurzbach on Saturday morning.

“The heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country. We mourn the dead and worry about the injured. I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from the bottom of my heart,” Steinmeier said in a statement on Saturday.

“The perpetrator must be brought to justice. Let us stand together against hatred and violence.”

There are fears of an increase in knife violence in Germany and Faeser recently proposed tightening the gun laws. In future, carrying knives in public will only be permitted with a blade length of up to 6 cm. Currently, a length of 11 cm is permitted.

A decade after the Islamic State declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria, the extremists no longer control any land, have lost many prominent leaders and are rarely found in the headlines of the world press.

Yet the group continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including deadly operations in Iran and Russia this year that left scores dead. Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq continue to carry out attacks against government forces in both countries, as well as against U.S.-backed Syrian fighters.

Associated Press writer Niemann reported from Solingen, Liechtenstein and Vienna.