In the aftermath of the spine-chilling stabbing attack by a knife-wielding killer in Germany, a crowd of partygoers were told that the suspect was still on the loose and that they should leave their event with their “eyes open”.
A woman and two men were murdered, while eight others were injured, in a “brutal and senseless” attack in the German city of Solingen last night, according to police.
Video footage from the diversity event shows one of the organisers, Phillip Müller, asking those in attendance to “go calmly; please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught.”
Police have detained a person in connection with the stabbing, with a manhunt now underway.
The incident is reported to have taken place at around 9.45pm in Fronhof central square in the city just outside of Dusseldorf in western Germany.
Although there is limited information about the attacker so far, police believe the attack was committed by a lone wolf.
Police said in a statement about the detention of the person earlier today that “simultaneously, a number of police measures are being carried out, including searches at various locations.”
Herbert Reul, interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, said: “None of us knows why [the attack occurred].”
Posting on X, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote: “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.”
Markus Seitz, police spokesman, said according to German tabloid Bild: “The police currently have no reliable evidence that he aimed the knife at his victims’ necks.”
Chief Inspector Sascha Kresta from the Wuppertal police told a local newspaper on Friday night: “The attacker stabbed people at random with a knife. There are currently three fatally injured victims, four seriously injured, and people in shock.
“A large-scale search for the attacker is underway, and we absolutely want to arrest the perpetrator. But investigations, forensic evidence and witness interviews are also ongoing at the same time.”