German law enforcement officials are searching for an Islamic man following a mass stabbing attack in the city of Solingen on Friday night that left several people dead.
At least nine people were stabbed, three of whom have died, at the “Festival of Diversity” — a three-day event celebrating the 650th anniversary of the city’s founding.
The suspect “specifically targeted the necks of his victims,” German authorities said at a press conference.
German newspaper WELT AM SONNTAG obtained a copy of a police report on the attack that stated: “A witness who was injured in the attack stated that the unknown suspect was ‘known from Solingen’ and that he was also a visitor to a local mosque. A witness reported that the suspect shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ during his actions.”
Bild, Germany’s largest newspaper, said that police were treating the incident as a “terror attack” after the suspect, whom witnesses described as “an Arab-looking man,” began attacking people at a busy city square in Solingen where a stage was set up for the event.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, saying: “The perpetrator of the attack on the Christian gathering in the city of Solingen, Germany, yesterday, was a soldier from the Islamic State, and he carried it out as revenge against Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.”
Police arrested a 15-year-old in connection with the stabbing, but later indicated that he was not the suspect they were looking for. Police believe he may have known about the attack and failed to alert the authorities.
They subsequently arrested a second person after a raid on a home for refugees. There was no immediate word on if the second arrest was the person they were hunting down.
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