German Police Hunt For Attacker Who Killed 3 People In Solingen

SOLINGEN (Germany), Aug 24 (Bernama-dpa) -- Police on Saturday are continuing to search for the person responsible for a fatal stabbing, which took place at the 650th anniversary celebrations of the city of Solingen on Friday, reported German news agency (dpa).  

The attack on Friday evening left at least three people dead – one woman and two men – and eight injured, five of them seriously, the authorities said. No information was given about the identity of the injured victims or their current condition.

The attacker was still on the run early on Saturday morning, police said, and the search continues. Special units were searching for the attacker in the city, according to a dpa reporter. 

Police warned residents who observe anything suspicious not to act on their own initiative but call the police emergency number. 

"We currently have no clues as to his whereabouts," said a police spokesman. There was also no description of the suspect. 

The attacker had managed to escape amid the panic that spread after the stabbing, said a spokesman for the North Rhine Westphalia Interior Ministry. North Rhine Westphalia is Germany's most populous state.

"I think that's our huge problem. We don't have much information about the perpetrator yet," Alexander Kresta, a spokesman for the Wuppertal police, said. 

According to the police, the perpetrator appears to have attacked passers-by at random, choosing his victims at random. The Interior Ministry said, however, that the perpetrator had stabbed their necks very deliberately. 

The attack began at around 9.45 pm (1945 GMT) on Friday, the police said. It took place at a marketplace in the city centre where a stage was set up for live music for a Festival of Diversity event. The crime took place directly in front of the stage, according to a dpa reporter.

-- BERNAMA-dpa