ISIS claims responsibility for knife attack that left 3 dead at festival in Germany as cops hunt suspect still on run
THE Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a knife attack at a festival in Germany as cops continued to hunt for the suspect.
Three people were killed and several more critically injured after the attacker stabbed his victims at random in Solingen, near Dusselford, on Friday night.
The perpetrator is still on the loose after reportedly targeting the victims in the neck.
The militant group said in a statement on its Telegram account that the attack was carried out by one of its members.
It is currently unclear what relationship the attacker had with ISIS.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested in connection to the blade horror in the early hours of this morning.
Two witnesses who claim to have seen the teen speaking to the perpetrator believe the chilling warning was uttered, according to German reports.
They allegedly heard the unknown knifeman say to the 15-year-old: “Today I’m going to stab everyone.”
Investigators told a press conference that the 15-year-old had been arrested for failing to tell cops he was told of an imminent attack by the knifeman in the hours before the rampage.
Armed cops are now continuing a major hunt for the suspect with officers searching properties for evidence.
Festival-goers gathered for Solingen’s Festival of Diversity which started Friday to mark the city’s big anniversary.
But at 9.37pm the knifeman launched his savage attack at random – aiming at his victims’ necks as he went.
Three people died of their injuries with the victims confirmed to be a woman, 56, and two men aged 56 and 67.
Eight more people were injured with four of them fighting for their lives after the suspect knifed the victims as they watched live music.
Prosecutors said they aren’t ruling out terror as a motive given that the knifeman attacked the festivalgoers at random and targeted their throats.
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.
“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.”
I kept playing, even though it was incredibly hard.
DJ Topic
It comes as a DJ revealed the “incredibly hard” moment he was told to keep playing amid the anarchy.
DJ Topic was playing while the terror unfolded and said he was told by security guards to continue to avoid “mass panic”.
In an Instagram post, the DJ claimed he had to push through an extra 10-15 minutes before music was stopped and the crowd was told what was going on.
He wrote: “Today I played at the 650-year anniversary of my hometown Solingen in Germany, and during my set, security personnel from the city came to me and asked me to please continue playing to avoid a mass panic.
“There were already people killed by a stabbing attacker. So I kept playing, even though it was incredibly hard.
“After about 10-15 minutes, the music was finally stopped, and the people were informed about the incident.”
Philipp Müller, a festival organiser, then appeared on stage during DJ Topic’s performance to announce the event had been cancelled.
He stopped the show to appeal to festivalgoers and said: “Go calmly, please keep yours eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught.”
With the attacker still on the run, Topic said he left the stage and hid in a nearby store while police choppers circled above.
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 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.
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 must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law.”