Man turns himself in to the police Suspect arrested after knife attack in Solingen
25.08.2024, 00:54
After the attack in Solingen, investigators have identified a suspect who is said to have turned himself in. The man, who is from Syria, is being questioned. Evidence is said to be available.
The police have arrested a suspect in connection with the knife attack in Solingen. This was announced by North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul. “The person we have been looking for all day has recently been in our custody,” said North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul on Saturday evening in the ARD “Tagesthemen”. The man is “highly” suspected of the crime and is now being questioned. The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) had previously claimed responsibility for the attack, but there has not yet been any confirmation from the security authorities that the motive was Islamist.
A spokeswoman for the Düsseldorf police said that the suspect was a 26-year-old Syrian. He turned himself in to the investigating authorities and stated that he was responsible for the attack, according to a joint press release from the public prosecutor’s office and the Düsseldorf police.
Referring to a search of a refugee shelter in Solingen, Reul said that this was part of further information that had been used. “But that was not what we wanted. We have been following a hot lead all day, and I can tell you that we successfully closed this hot lead a few minutes ago. The person we have actually been looking for all day has recently been in our custody.”
Previously arrested persons probably not suspected
A few hours earlier, the police had already arrested a man in a refugee shelter in Solingen, which is not far from the site of the attack in the city center. That morning, a 15-year-old who may have been connected to the possible perpetrator was also arrested. “But they were very likely, still cautiously, not the people we really suspect,” said Reul, referring to the two arrests.
The “Spiegel” reported that the emergency services in the refugee accommodation had only taken away one man who was being questioned as a suspected witness. The police also suspected that the main suspect was in the accommodation, it said. The emergency services had stormed the accommodation. A special task force was also deployed.
With regard to the 15-year-old, investigators had previously stated that they do not believe he was the perpetrator. One possible charge against him is failure to report planned crimes. “According to witness statements, an as yet unknown person spoke to the youth shortly before the attack about intentions that would be consistent with the crime,” said senior public prosecutor Markus Caspers on Saturday afternoon. According to “Spiegel”, the 15-year-old is a Kyrgyz who lives in a refugee shelter. He is refusing to testify, it was said.
Reul: Evidence found
It is too early to judge whether the arrest was ultimately a success. “I myself am a little relieved at the moment,” said Reul. “I can only tell you that it is now more than just a guess. We not only had a lead on this person, but we also found evidence.”
He did not say whether it was the murder weapon. The police had previously only announced that they had confiscated several knives and were being examined to determine whether one could be linked to the crime.
According to “Spiegel” information, the man who has now been arrested came to Germany at the end of December 2022 and applied for asylum. He was not previously known to the security authorities as an Islamist extremist.
On Friday evening, a man apparently randomly stabbed bystanders at an anniversary celebration in the city of Solingen in the Bergisches Land. He then escaped in the tumult and initial panic. Two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman died. Eight people were injured, four of them seriously.
IS claims responsibility for attack
The jihadist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack in Solingen. An IS “soldier” carried out the attack “on a gathering of Christians in the city of Solingen in Germany” on Friday, the IS propaganda organ Amaq announced on the online service Telegram. The attacker took “revenge” for Muslims in the Palestinian territories and elsewhere in the world.
The Düsseldorf police also said they received a letter claiming responsibility from IS. Now they have to check whether this letter is genuine, said a police spokesman. Investigators pointed out that IS has often claimed responsibility for a crime in the past without there being any reliable evidence of real cooperation with the perpetrator. It is unclear whether the man who has now been arrested has any connection to IS.
The Solingen attack caused great shock throughout Germany. On Sunday morning, an ecumenical service will be held in the Protestant city church in memory of the victims. From 10 a.m., there will be “a safe space for everyone who wants to mourn, sing and pray with us,” said city dean Michael Mohr. The church is not far from the crime scene. On Saturday evening, there was a service in Solingen’s pedestrian zone, attended by hundreds of people mourning the victims.
