One 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection to a deadly knife attack, however, he is not the main suspect but reportedly knew about the attack before it took place. According to the German newspaper, Welt, a report from police translated to English stated: "A witness who was injured in the attack stated that the unknown suspect was 'known from Solingen' and that he was also a visitor to a local mosque. A witness reported that the suspect shouted 'Allahu Akbar' during his actions."
The BBC reported that the assailant appeared to randomly target festivalgoers, deliberately stabbing them in the neck as they passed by. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser assured the public that authorities are "doing everything they can to catch the perpetrator and determine the background of the attack." Chancellor Olaf Scholz also stressed the importance of quickly apprehending the suspect and bringing him to justice.
Regional Interior Minister Herbert Reul expressed his deep sorrow during a press conference on Saturday, saying, "You don't want to believe what you see here at the crime scene. It weighs heavily. My thoughts are with the relatives of the victims and the injured. We can only pray that the seriously injured will survive."
A police spokesperson confirmed that authorities are currently operating under the assumption that the attack was carried out by a lone individual, but they have no leads on the suspect’s whereabouts or physical description.
Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach took to Facebook to comment on the situation, writing, "Tonight all of us in Solingen are in shock, horror and great sadness. We all wanted to celebrate our city anniversary together and now we have to mourn the dead and injured.”
"It breaks my heart that an attack has happened in our city. I have tears in my eyes when I think of those we've lost. I pray for all those still fighting for their lives. Also my greatest sympathy for all those who had to experience this, these images must have been horrific,” he added.
