Cops hunt knifeman as 3 killed in ‘terror attack’ at Solingen festival in Germany after suspect stabbed victims in neck

ARMED cops are hunting a knifeman who launched a horror stabbing frenzy that killed three people in Germany.

Festival-goers were stabbed at random in the country’s west in what’s been branded a “terrorist attack”.

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Eight more people were injured with five of them fighting for their lives after the suspect knifed the victims as they watched live music.

The horror rampage, started around 9.45pm Friday night at the Festival of Diversity in Solingen, a few miles from Cologne and Düsseldorf.

Cops arrested a 15-year-old in relation to the horror attack on Saturday.

He is not believed to be the knifeman but is being questioned over the incident.

Cops say he has only been charged with failing to report an imminent crime, believing he was spoken to by the suspect about attack plans.

Police told a press conference: “A male perpetrator had started stabbing people at the festival – it happened at the stage that was set up in the market square.

“The police force became active, it became known to be a rampage.

“We are searching properties, we are looking right across the state and have involved the federal police.

“We know that three people have lost their lives, a man, 67, a man of 56 and a woman of 56.

“Eight people were injured and are being treated in hospital, four of whom are seriously injured.

“In early hours of morning we detained a 15-year-old … we’re not saying this is the person who carried out the attack.

“We assume it is one perpetrator but we are investigating whether there are more.”

The suspect is said to have attacked the festivalgoers directly in front of the stage where live bands were playing.

It was previously reported that a man allegedly knifed victims at random in the neck before fleeing, with several people understood to be seriously injured.

However, police spokesman Markus Seitz denied reports that the perpetrator had deliberately stabbed his victims in the neck.

He said: “The police currently have no reliable evidence that he aimed the knife at his victims’ necks.”

Police previously said they have very little information on the suspect so far but believe the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker.

A large numbers of officers are involved in the search, which extends beyond the city. Roadblocks have been set up and special units have been deployed.

The three-day “Festival of Diversity” was being held to mark the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city, which has about 160,000 inhabitants and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf.

Around 80,000 visitors were expected to attend the event, which has now been cancelled.

The attack happened on a central square, known as the Fronhof.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz posted a statement on X:  “The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly.

“An attacker has brutally killed several people.

“I have just spoken to Solingen’s mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families.

“I wish the injured a speedy recovery. The perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law.”

The region’s top security official, Herbert Reul told reporters it was a targeted attack on human life but declined to speculate on the motive.

He said: “None of us knows why. I can’t say anything about the motive now.”

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He said the attacker left the scene “relatively quickly”.

Lars Breitzke, a witness, said he was standing in front of the stage when the attack took place just a few metres away from him.

He was watching a band playing on stage when he noticed the expression on the singer’s face that something was wrong.

He said: “And then a person fell over just a metre away from me”

Breitzke added that at first he thought the person was drunk.

But when he turned around, Bretzke saw others who had been injured lying on the ground, bleeding, he told Solinger Tageblatt .

Breitzke himself was unharmed.

The outlet’s reporter Celine Derikartz described the atmosphere as “spooky”.

She said a party atmosphere had turned to shock within minutes and she saw festivalgoers weeping.

The event is understood to have been halted around 10pm as attendees were told to leave the area.

Dozens of emergency workers are at the scene, and the police have declared a major incident.

Photos show police with automatic guns, as well as forensics officers collecting evidence.

Philipp Müller, a festival organiser, appeared on stage during a performance by DJ Topic to announce the event had been cancelled.

He stopped the show to appeal to festivalgoes and said: “Go calmly, please keep yours eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught.”

He also reportedly said that nine people were fighting for their lives.

Müller is quoted as telling local media: “People left the square in shock, but peacefully.

Mayor Tim Kurzbach said in a Facebook post: “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.

An area near the church square remains cordoned off and a ‘situation centre’ has been set up at the Café Kersting.

Videos posted on X show flashing blue lights and emergency vehicles.

The festival was officially opened on Friday at around 7pm by Mr Kurzbach.

Presenter Panagiota Petridou, a city native, was supposed to host the evening.

Petridou was on site and is now safe, her management confirmed to RTL .

Germany ‘s top security official, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6 centimeters (nearly 2.4 inches) to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12 centimeters (4.7 inches), which is allowed now.

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