Three persons were killed in Solingen, western Germany, when a knife-wielding individual stabbed people attending the celebration of the 650th anniversary of the city's founding, police announced on Friday evening.
The incident occurred around 9:45 p.m., when the assailant began randomly stabbing attendees, German newspaper Bild reported. Preliminary details suggest that three individuals died in the attack, and several others sustained serious injuries, although official confirmation was still pending.
The attack happened at the Fronhof, a square located in Solingen’s city centre where a stage was set up for the celebrations.
One of the organisers of the event, speaking from the Fronhof stage, said nine people had suffered severe injuries.
Local news source Solinger Tageblatt reported multiple eyewitnesses describing the incident as a knife attack. Many attendees had been unaware of it until the organisers announced it on stage. Many of the visitors left the city centre in tears, leaving an eerie atmosphere, according to German media.
The suspect is on the run, with the police initiating a manhunt and deploying a large force throughout the city. The celebration site was cordoned off and people were asked to leave the city centre, according to media outlet Focus.
Various social media platforms circulated a video showing numerous police vehicles, ambulances, and a helicopter patrolling the city.
The DPA news agency reported on Friday night, citing police sources, that no arrests had been made
