Germany’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation following a fatal knife attack in Solingen, claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS).
The attack, which has shocked the nation and ignited political debate, resulted in three deaths and eight injuries.
On Saturday evening, a 26-year-old Syrian national turned himself in to authorities, admitting responsibility for the attack that occurred during a local festival in the western town of Solingen. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office, based in Karlsruhe, is investigating the suspect for “participation in a terrorist organization.”
ISIS has claimed the assault, stating it was carried out “to avenge the Muslims of Palestine and everywhere else,” according to a statement from the group’s propaganda arm, Amaq.
German media reports indicate that the suspect, who arrived in Germany in December 2022, was under a deportation order to Bulgaria, where his asylum application should have been processed according to EU regulations. German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck noted that the suspect was not listed as a dangerous Islamist extremist by security services.
In response to the attack, Habeck, a member of Olaf Scholz’s centrist coalition, emphasized the need for severe penalties for acts of Islamist terrorism. “Islamist terrorism is one of the greatest dangers to our country,” he said.
The attack on Friday evening claimed the lives of a 56-year-old man, a 67-year-old man, and a 56-year-old woman, among thousands of festival-goers. The assailant targeted victims in the neck area, according to police reports.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser visited Solingen on Saturday, urging national unity and condemning efforts to incite hatred. Her visit came amid a heated political debate just a week before key regional elections in eastern Germany, where the far-right AfD party is leading in the polls.
In response to the attack, Habeck proposed stricter laws on carrying weapons, stating, “Nobody in Germany needs knives in public. This is not the Middle Ages.” Conservative CDU leader Friedrich Merz criticized the proposal as insufficient, arguing that the real issue is not the knives but the people who carry them. He called for a halt to refugee admissions from Syria and Afghanistan.
The AfD has criticized regional and national migration and security policies, blaming them for the attack. Chancellor Scholz has called for the perpetrator to be punished to the full extent of the law.
Police also reported that another individual arrested at a refugee hostel in Solingen is being treated as a witness. Additionally, a 15-year-old was detained on suspicion of failing to report a planned criminal act.
The Solingen festival, which celebrated the town’s 650th anniversary, was marred by the attack. Singer Suzan Köcher, who was performing at the event, recounted the chaos in an Instagram post, describing the moment of the attack and the confusion among the crowd.
This incident marks the deadliest jihadist attack on German soil since the December 2016 ram-raid attack claimed by ISIS, which killed 12 people at a Christmas market in Berlin.
