German police say a man has turned himself in, claiming to be behind deadly Solingen festival knife attack

A 26-year-old man turned himself in to police, saying he was accountable for the Solingen knife attack that left three lifeless and eight wounded at a festival marking town’s 650th anniversary, German authorities introduced early Sunday. 

Duesseldorf police mentioned in a joint assertion with the prosecutor’s workplace that the man “stated that he was responsible for the attack.”

“This person’s involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated,” the assertion mentioned. 

The suspect is a Syrian citizen who had utilized for asylum in Germany, police confirmed to The Associated Press information company.

On Saturday, the Islamic State terror group claimed duty for the attack, with out offering proof. The extremist group mentioned on its information website that the attacker focused Christians and that he carried out the assaults Friday evening “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” The declare could not be independently verified.

The attack comes amid debate over immigration forward of regional elections subsequent Sunday in Germany’s Saxony and Thuringia areas the place anti-immigration events such because the populist Alternative for Germany are anticipated to do nicely. In June, Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed that the nation would begin deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria once more after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left one police officer lifeless and 4 extra folks injured.

On Saturday, a synagogue in France was targeted in an arson attack. French police mentioned they made an arrest early Sunday.

What occurred throughout the Solingen attack?

A metropolis of about 160,000 residents close to the larger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf, Solingen was holding a “Festival of Diversity” to rejoice its anniversary.

The festival started Friday and was supposed to run via Sunday, with a number of levels in central streets providing sights reminiscent of reside music, cabaret and acrobatics.

The attack came about in entrance of 1 stage. Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Friday, folks alerted police to the presence of an attacker who had wounded a number of folks with a knife. 

At least three folks have been killed, authorities mentioned: two males aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old girl. Police mentioned the attacker appeared to have intentionally aimed for his victims’ throats.

The festival was canceled as police seemed for clues within the cordoned-off sq..

Friday’s attack plunged town of Solingen into shock and grief. Residents gathered to mourn the lifeless and injured, inserting flowers and notes close to the scene of the attack.

“Warum?” requested one signal positioned amid candles and teddy bears. Why?

Among these asking themselves the query was 62-year-old Cord Boetther, a service provider from Solingen.

“Why does something like this have to be done? It’s incomprehensible and it hurts,” Boetther mentioned.

Officials had earlier mentioned a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion he knew concerning the deliberate attack and failed to inform authorities, however that he was not the attacker. Two feminine witnesses advised police they overheard the boy and an unknown particular person earlier than the attack talking about intentions that corresponded to the bloodshed, officers mentioned.

The ISIS militant group declared its caliphate in massive components of Iraq and Syria about a decade in the past, however now holds no management over any land and has misplaced many outstanding leaders. The group is usually out of worldwide information headlines.

Still, it continues to recruit members and declare duty for deadly assaults world wide, together with deadly operations in Iran and Russia earlier this yr that killed dozens of individuals. Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq nonetheless perform assaults on authorities forces in each nations in addition to U.S.-backed Syrian fighters.

contributed to this report.