2024 Solingen stabbing
 | This article documents a mass stabbing and ongoing manhunt. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (August 2024) |
| 2024 Solingen stabbing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Fronhof marketplace, Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Date | 23 August 2024 c. 21:40 (UTC+2) |
| Target | Solingen 650th anniversary festival, named the Festival of Diversity |
Attack type | Mass stabbing |
| Weapons | knife |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 8 |
| Perpetrators | Unknown |
On the evening of 23 August 2024, a mass stabbing occurred in Solingen, Germany, when a man armed with a knife stabbed several people at a festival marking the city's 650th anniversary. The perpetrator killed three people and injured eight, five of them seriously, according to a police statement released in the early hours of 24 August.[1]
The perpetrator fled the scene.[1] Images showed a helicopter monitoring the area. Local residents have been warned to exercise caution and remain on alert.[2]
A fifteen-year-old has been arrested and questioned in connection to the attack. People saw that the fifeen-year-old spoke with the attacker shortly before the attack. Police do not believe that the teenager carried out the attack. The teenager might have known abouit it, and withheld this evidence from the authorities. The perpertrator, supposedly a man, was able to flee and has not been found yet.
Background
Solingen, a city with a population of approximately 160,000, is situated near the larger cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state.[3]
The attack occurred during an event called the Festival of Diversity (Festival der Vielfalt),[4] a three-day event from 23 to 25 August celebrating Solingen's 650th anniversary. It had been billed as turning the city center into a big "celebration mile" stretching from Neumarkt to Fronhof to Mühlenplatz.[5] The incident took place at the Fronhof, a central square and marketplace in the heart of the city, where a stage had been set up for live music performances.[3]
Attack
The attack occurred around 21:40 local time (19:40 UTC) at the Fronhof. A man stabbed several people, killing three and wounding at least eight, five of which were serious injuries.[1]
The three fatalities were two men and a woman, all from Solingen.[6] Police have issued a major alert and launched a manhunt. Armed officers were on site, having cordoned off large sections of the city, with barriers in place across various locations.[3]
According to the German daily Bild, heavily armed SEK units, comprising around 40 special vehicles from across North Rhine-Westphalia, were deployed to Solingen, road junctions were blocked, and residents were advised to stay indoors and avoid the city center.[3]
Following the attack, the remainder of the festival was canceled.[1] A 15-year-old was arrested in connection with the case, with authorities stating he was seen speaking with the perpetrator moments before the attack.[7][8]
Reactions
Minister of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia Herbert Reul, who traveled to Solingen in the night of the attack, warned against speculations about the perpetrator, saying that it was as yet impossible to say anything about him or his motives.[9] Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser and North Rhine-Westphalia minister president Hendrik Wüst were to travel to the city on 24 August.[10]
According to the German newspaper Die Zeit and the New York Times, Solingen's mayor, Tim Kurzbach, wrote a post about the attack on the city's Facebook page, saying that “This evening, we are all in shock, horror and great sadness in Solingen. We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we have to mourn the dead and injured.” He also thanked all emergency services that responded to the attack.[11][12]
References
- ^ a b c d Sims, Tom; Wagner, Rene (24 August 2024). "German police hunt for assailant in festival stabbing that killed 3". Reuters. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Brown, Benjamin; Regan, Helen; Schmidt, Nadine; Tanno, Sophie; Kennedy, Niamh (24 August 2024). "German police hunt attacker who stabbed 3 people to death at festival". CNN News. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Germany: Several reported killed at street party in Solingen – DW – 08/23/2024". dw.com. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "Three killed and four seriously injured at diversity festival in Germany". The Guardian. 23 August 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "Großfahndung nach flüchtigem Täter: Drei Tote und fünf Schwerverletzte bei Messer-Anschlag auf Solinger Stadtfest" [Major manhunt for fugitive perpetrator: Three dead and five seriously injured in knife attack at Solingen city festival]. Der Tagesspiegel. 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Attentato a colpi di coltello in Germania, tre morti a Solingen. Caccia all'uomo". Rai News (in Italian). 24 August 2024.
- ^ "German police detain one person in connection with knife attack". BBC. 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Germany stabbing latest: Police detain 15-year-old after Solingen festival knife attack leaves three dead". www.msn.com. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Drei Tote und acht Verletzte bei Messerangriff in Solingen" [Three dead and eight injured in knife attack in Solingen]. Deutschlandfunk (in German). 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Akkoyun, Nail (24 August 2024). "Drei Tote nach Messerangriff in Solingen: Faeser und Wüst reisen zum Tatort" [Three dead after knife attack in Solingen: Faeser and Wüst to travel to crime scene]. Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Angriff in Solingen: Tote und Verletzte bei Anschlag auf Solinger Stadtfest". www.zeit.de (in German). 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Manhunt in Western Germany After Knife Attack Kills at Least 3". www.nytimes.com. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
