The perpetrator – with “Arab features”, according to eyewitnesses – has so far eluded arrest.
Three dead and five injured, whose health condition is considered critical, is the latest toll from the attack by an unknown person with a knife last night, at a Festival in the German city of Solingen, in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The German authorities are now talking about a terrorist act.
According to eyewitnesses, at 21:45 (local time; 22:45 Greek time), a man with “Arabic features”, brandishing a knife, indiscriminately attacked people who were in the central Fronhof Square, in the center of the city, watching a concert, as part of the three-day Festival to mark the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city. The perpetrator escaped and is being sought. A large-scale police operation is underway in the area, with the assistance of helicopters. The authorities have called on citizens to stay in their homes.
According to Chief Inspector of Police Sasha Kresta, the attacker did not choose the victims, but aimed his knife at their throats.
“Reinforced police forces are looking for the perpetrator. We really want to arrest him. At the same time, forensic investigations and witness statements are ongoing,” said Mr. Kresta and added that three of the people who were attacked were not injured, but are in a state of shock.
“We don’t want to believe what we see here at the crime scene. It’s sad. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and the injured. All we can do now is pray that the seriously injured will make it,” said North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister, Herbert Royle, during a joint press conference with Inspector Kresta in Düsseldorf.
“In Solingen we are all in shock, we feel horror and great sadness. We wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we are forced to mourn deaths and injuries. The attack on our city breaks my heart. With tears in my eyes I think of those we have lost. I pray for those who are still fighting for their lives,” said Solingen Mayor Tim Kurtzbach.
After the attack, the authorities decided to suspend the “Festival for Diversity” which was in progress, on the occasion of the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city, and was to last until tomorrow, Sunday.
The events of the Festival were estimated to be attended by at least 80,000 people during the three days.
Source :Skai
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
