A Syrian man suspected of belonging to a terrorist group has surrendered to authorities and confessed to killing three people and injuring eight others in a knife attack at a street festival in Solingen, Germany. The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Issa Al H, has been ordered to be held in pre-trial detention by German prosecutors, who have launched a terrorist investigation into the incident.
He “shares the ideology of the foreign terrorist organization Islamic State” and on the basis of his “radical Islamic convictions” decided “to kill the largest possible number of those he considers unbelievers” at the festival, the Office of the Federal Prosecutor said in a statement.
The Islamic State group’s propaganda arm, Amaq, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the perpetrator of the attack on a gathering of Christians in Solingen was a soldier of the Islamic State. The group claimed that the attack was carried out as “revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere”, seemingly referring to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The victims of the attack include two men aged 56 and 67, and a 56-year-old woman, all of whom were stabbed in the neck. Four of the wounded remain in serious condition. The attack has left the city of Solingen in shock and grief, as the festival was meant to celebrate the city’s 650th anniversary.
The suspect, who had applied for asylum in Germany, is believed to share the radical ideology of the Islamic State and decided to target those he considered unbelievers at the festival.
Police were alerted to the attack shortly after 9:30 pm local time, with reports indicating that a man had assaulted multiple people with a knife on the city’s central square. Authorities noted that the attacker seemed to have intentionally targeted the victims’ throats.
The festival, which was scheduled to continue through Sunday, was canceled as police investigated the cordoned-off square. Instead, residents gathered to pay their respects to the victims, leaving flowers and notes near the scene of the attack. One sign placed among candles and teddy bears simply asked, “Warum?” meaning “why.”
The attack has taken place amidst ongoing debates about immigration in Germany, particularly in the lead-up to the regional elections on September 1 in Saxony and Thuringia, where anti-immigration parties like the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to perform well.
IS, which once declared a caliphate spanning large parts of Iraq and Syria about a decade ago, no longer holds any territory and has lost many of its prominent leaders. Despite this, the group continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks worldwide, including recent lethal operations in Iran and Russia that claimed dozens of lives.
He “shares the ideology of the foreign terrorist organization Islamic State” and on the basis of his “radical Islamic convictions” decided “to kill the largest possible number of those he considers unbelievers” at the festival, the Office of the Federal Prosecutor said in a statement.
The Islamic State group’s propaganda arm, Amaq, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the perpetrator of the attack on a gathering of Christians in Solingen was a soldier of the Islamic State. The group claimed that the attack was carried out as “revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere”, seemingly referring to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The victims of the attack include two men aged 56 and 67, and a 56-year-old woman, all of whom were stabbed in the neck. Four of the wounded remain in serious condition. The attack has left the city of Solingen in shock and grief, as the festival was meant to celebrate the city’s 650th anniversary.
The suspect, who had applied for asylum in Germany, is believed to share the radical ideology of the Islamic State and decided to target those he considered unbelievers at the festival.
Police were alerted to the attack shortly after 9:30 pm local time, with reports indicating that a man had assaulted multiple people with a knife on the city’s central square. Authorities noted that the attacker seemed to have intentionally targeted the victims’ throats.
The festival, which was scheduled to continue through Sunday, was canceled as police investigated the cordoned-off square. Instead, residents gathered to pay their respects to the victims, leaving flowers and notes near the scene of the attack. One sign placed among candles and teddy bears simply asked, “Warum?” meaning “why.”
The attack has taken place amidst ongoing debates about immigration in Germany, particularly in the lead-up to the regional elections on September 1 in Saxony and Thuringia, where anti-immigration parties like the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to perform well.
IS, which once declared a caliphate spanning large parts of Iraq and Syria about a decade ago, no longer holds any territory and has lost many of its prominent leaders. Despite this, the group continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks worldwide, including recent lethal operations in Iran and Russia that claimed dozens of lives.