Nine people were injured or killed by a knife-wielding assailant in a mass stabbing during a German city’s annual “diversity festival” celebration on Friday. The festival was the 650th anniversary for the city of Solingen, Germany.
The attack took place at a central square of the town, called the Fronhof. The Tageblatt newspaper, a local paper for Solingen, urged festival attendees to leave the downtown area. Philipp Müller, an organizer for the festival, reported on stage that emergency workers were fighting for the lives of the nine victims.
Reports have indicated that the suspect has evaded the police and still at large. Eyewitnesses referred to the suspect as an “Arab-looking man.”
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 23, 2024
At least 3 people have been stabbed to death at a “diversity festival” in Solingen, Germany 🇩🇪@BILD reports that many are still receiving CPR on the scene and that eyewitnesses say an “Arab-looking man” suddenly started stabbing people.
The man is on the run. pic.twitter.com/IHzBxs4DJJ
🇩🇪 ‼️- Mass stabbing in a diversity festival in Solingen, Germany causes 9 victims, multiple fatalities expected. pic.twitter.com/pR4XcSjxzX
— Monitor𝕏 (@MonitorX99800) August 23, 2024
Solingen is a town with a population of 160,000, located about 15 miles north of Cologne.
The stabbing comes just a few months after a mass stabbing in Mannheim Germany at a Pax Europa rally that injured six. One victim included a police officer who intervened in the attack. The assailant was ultimately shot by police. The Pax Europa group describes itself as opposing “political Islam.”
Germany saw 8,951 incidents of serious bodily harm caused by knife violence in 2023. The German right-leaning Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party places blame for the violence at the country’s immigration policy. Others argue that the violence also comes from native Germans, suggesting a broader societal issue.
