North Rhine-Westphalia state interior minister Herbert Reul told ARD television he was “somewhat relieved” after the arrest. The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also injured eight others.
German police had been searching for two other people in their sights. However, Mr Reul said: "The real suspect is the person we have just arrested. That person is being questioned and evidence has been seized." He said the suspect was linked to a refugee home that was searched earlier in the day.
Police officers at the scene of a stabbing at a festival in Solingen, Germany on August 24, 2024. Photo: Reuters
The IS terrorist group described the man as “a soldier of the Islamic State” and said in a statement on its Telegram account: “He carried out the attack to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.”
Hendrik Wuest, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia state, described Friday night's attack at a festival in the city of Solingen as a terrorist act. "This attack has struck at the heart of our country," he told reporters.
The attack took place at Fronhof, a square in the western German city of Solingen, where bands were performing at a festival marking the city's 650th anniversary.
Markus Caspers, an official at the prosecutor's office in Duesseldorf, said authorities were treating it as a terrorist attack, as no other motive was known and the victims appeared to be unrelated.
A police official, Thorsten Fleiss, said the attacker appeared to be aiming for the victim's throat. "The perpetrator must be quickly arrested and punished to the fullest extent of the law," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a post on X after the attack.
A German artist named Topic said on Instagram that he was playing music on a nearby stage when the incident occurred. He was informed of what had happened but was told to continue playing “to avoid causing panic”.
Eventually, he was told to stop, “as the attacker was still on the run, and we then hid in a nearby shop while a police helicopter circled above us.” Authorities have now cancelled the rest of the festival this weekend.
Fatal stabbings and shootings are relatively rare in Germany, but have been on the rise recently. Earlier this month, German authorities said they wanted to tighten regulations on knives that can be carried in public by reducing the maximum length allowed.
Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/da-bat-duoc-nghi-pham-trong-vu-dam-dao-o-le-hoi-duc-khung-bo-is-nhan-trach-nhiem-post309157.html
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