German police arrest suspect in knife attack
Photo: the site of the attack in Solingen, Germany (Thomas Banneyer/dpa/spiegel.de)
A suspect in the knife attack on festival-goers in Solingen, Germany, which occurred on the evening of August 23, has been apprehended, according to Der Spiegel.
The alleged attacker turned himself into a patrolling police officers. The suspect has been identified as the Syrian Issa al H.
"Security sources said that his clothes were dirty and covered in blood," Der Spiegel writes.
The attack took place at a festival in the Fronhof market square, and it took more than a day for authorities to detain the suspect. During this time, law enforcement officials were on the hot lead.
The German Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community confirmed that they had a suspect, whose search had continued throughout the day.
Herbert Reul, the Minister of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia, confirmed the arrest during an appearance on ARD's "Tagesthemen" and noted that evidence linking the detained individual to the attack in Solingen had been found.
The ministry also mentioned that a search was conducted at a refugee residence in Solingen, and part of the additional information was used in the pursuit of the attacker.
About the suspect
According to Der Spiegel, the suspect is 26 years old. Issa al H. was born in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, and arrived in Germany in late December 2022, applying for asylum in Bielefeld.
A year later, he received subsidiary protection, a status often granted to refugees from war-torn countries.
"He is a Sunni Muslim. According to SPIEGEL information, he was not previously known to the security authorities as an Islamist extremist," the German publication reports.
The “accidental injury” theory
The press also reports a theory suggesting that the man may have accidentally injured passersby at the Solingen festival celebrating the city's 650th anniversary. He reportedly fled amid the chaos and panic.
The incident resulted in the deaths of three people: two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman. Additionally, six people sustained serious injuries, four of whom are in critical condition.
Police operation at a refugee shelter
Earlier on Saturday, German police announced a second arrest as part of an operation at a refugee shelter in Solingen. The police stated that they could not provide further details about the individual or their connection to the incident, Reuters reports.
Furthermore, it was revealed that German authorities had detained a teenager who they believed might be linked to the attack. However, police later stated that the suspect remained at large.
ISIS responsibility
On Saturday, it was reported that the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the knife attack in Solingen.
A statement from the jihadist group was released by the ISIS-linked Amaq news agency and was cited by international media.
On Friday, August 23, an unknown assailant attacked festival-goers with a knife in Solingen, Germany. The police deployed helicopters to search for the attacker. The attack resulted in three deaths and reports of eight injured.
