Manhunt for killer who left three dead and five injured in knife attack at German festival
24 August 2024, 07:22 | Updated: 24 August 2024, 07:24
A manhunt is underway for the knifeman who left three people dead and five seriously injured at a festival in Solingen, Germany.
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The knifeman, who is still on the run and police warn is dangerous, attacked people at random as they celebrated at around 9.45pm on Friday evening at a music festival.
Officers said they believe the attacker used a knife as he plunged the blade into random passersby's necks, leaving a woman and two men from Solingen and nearby Dusseldorf dead.
A desperate manhunt is now underway to find the "brutal and senseless" killer with armed officers swarming the streets of the city and helicopters scourering overhead.
No arrests have been made yet and police say they still have no idea what the looks like.
Read More: Three people dead and four injured in Germany after festival knife attack
Footage from the scene showed armed police standing solemnly in darkness, only backlit by blue police lights, around the usually quiet square in the city.
The rampage began when festivalgoers jolted in horror when a man began stabbing attendees in the neck close to the stage.
One of the festival organisers, Philipp Muller, appeared on stage and asked festival-goers to "go calmly; please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn't been caught".
He said many people had been wounded by "a knifeman".
At least one helicopter was seen in the air, while many police and emergency vehicles with flashing blue lights were on the road and several streets were closed off.
Writing on X, police said: "There is currently a major police operation during the 650th anniversary celebrations in #Solingen.
"There are several dead and injured due to a knife attack. Please avoid the area of Solingen city center. Further information will follow."
Mayor Tim Kurzbach said in a Facebook post: "This evening, we in Solingen are all in shock.
"We all wanted to celebrate our city's anniversary together and now have dead and wounded to lament.
"It breaks my heart that an attack on our city happened," he added.
The local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt quoted Celine Derikartz, its reporter covering the festival, as saying that a party atmosphere had turned to shock within minutes and she saw festival-goers weeping.
The Festival of Diversity, marking the city's 650th anniversary, began on Friday and was supposed to run through to Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.
One witness, Lars Breitzke, told local paper The Solinger Tageblatt that he knew something was wrong when he saw a performer with an odd expression on their face.
"And then a person fell over just a meter away from me," Breitzke said.
State Premier Hendrik Wüst said: "In these dark hours, the people of our state and beyond are with Solingen with their hearts and thoughts.
"An act of brutal and senseless violence has struck our state to the heart. The whole of North Rhine-Westphalia stands by the people of Solingen, especially the victims and their families.
"A big thank you goes to the many rescue workers and our police who are fighting for people’s lives at this very moment.”
The suspect is still at large, according to Germany's interior ministry. The attack is being treated as terror.
People had gathered in their masses to celebrate the 650th anniversary of the 160,000-strong city, which is around 15 miles east of Düsseldorf.
Solingen has about 160,000 residents and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf.
Germany's top security official, interior minister Nancy Faeser, recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6cm (nearly 2.4in) to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12cm (4.7in), which is allowed now.
