Authorities have identified a 26-year-old man as the suspect in a series of stabbings at the festival. in Last week, a Syrian man suspected of having ties to the Islamic State carried out an attack in Solingen, Germany, killing three people and wounding eight.
Germany's federal prosecutors identified the suspect as Issa al-H., withholding his surname due to German privacy laws.
Islamic State previously claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the attackers targeted Christians and carried out it in “revenge against Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.”
In a statement on its Telegram account, Islamic State described the man who carried out the attack as an “Islamic State soldier.”
Islamic State claims responsibility for German festival attack, second suspect arrested
Police and ambulances stand by near the scene of a stabbing attack in Germany last week. (Gianni Gattus/Photo Alliance via Getty Images)
North Rhine-Westphalia state Interior Minister Herbert Reul said Issa al-H. had been living in a refugee home in Sollinger before the attack.
Der Spiegel magazine, citing unidentified security sources, reported that the suspect planned to move to Germany in late 2022 and seek asylum.
German right-wing candidate stabbed in latest attack ahead of elections
Following the deadly knife attack on August 23, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for tougher immigration laws and increased deportations.
“We must do everything we can to ensure that those who cannot or are not allowed to stay in Germany are repatriated and deported,” Scholz said during a visit to the scene of the stabbing.
“This is terrorism. This is terrorism against all of us,” he said.
Police officers stand near a building in Solingen, Germany. (Gianni Gattus/dpa via The Associated Press)
The attack occurred at around 9:35pm local time on August 22, as the victims were enjoying a live band performance in front of the stage to mark the town's 650th anniversary.
Authorities said the three dead were two men, ages 67 and 56, and one woman, age 56. Police said the gunman appeared to have deliberately aimed for the victims' throats.
Police then sealed off the square, and passersby placed candles and flowers outside the fence.
German police officer dies after being stabbed by Afghan migrant
In a social media post shortly after the attack, Solingen Mayor Tim Kurtzbach said he was “shocked.” After the attack.
“All of us in Solingen are in shock, horror and deep sadness tonight,” he wrote. “We would have all liked to celebrate our city's anniversary together and now we must mourn the dead and injured. We are heartbroken by the assassination attack in our city.”
Emergency personnel and police were dispatched to the scene near the scene of a stabbing incident at a festival in Solingen, Germany, on August 23, leaving three people dead and injured. (Gianni Gattus/dpa via The Associated Press)
Fatal stabbings and shootings are relatively rare in Germany, and the government said earlier this month it wants to tighten rules on who can carry knives in public.
In May, Afghan migrants Stabbing incident in MannheimIt injured several people in the southwestern German city of Berlin, including an anti-Islam activist and a police officer who died, days after a member of Germany's right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was stabbed in the same city during an election campaign.
The riots came ahead of elections next month in the states of Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg that could be won by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which opposes mass immigration.
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The attacker's motive and identity are unclear, but Bjorn Hucke, a leading AfD candidate in state elections, criticized Friday's attack, posting on X: “Do you really want to get used to this? Free yourself and end this madness of forced multiculturalism.”
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
