Police say a manhunt is underway after three people were killed and eight others injured in a knife attack in the western German city of Solingen.
The attack took place during a festival in the city centre on Friday evening. Five people were injured and are in critical condition, according to German media reports.
Police said on Saturday they were still searching for the attacker, with national security forces deployed to the scene. They gave no details about a motive.
The man is believed to have randomly stabbed passersby as the industrial city celebrated its 650th anniversary.
The attacker is believed to have deliberately stabbed the victim in the neck, local media reported.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the attacker must be caught quickly and face the harshest punishment under the law.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser expressed her condolences and said security agencies were “doing everything possible to apprehend the perpetrators and determine the cause of the attack”.
Solingen – a city in North Rhineland-Westphalia known for its steel industry – has a population of about 160,000. The city is located about 15 miles (25 km) east of Düsseldorf and northeast of Cologne.
“You don’t want to believe what you see at the crime scene. It’s very heavy. My condolences to the families of the victims and the injured. We can only pray that those who are seriously injured will survive,” regional Interior Minister Herbert Reul said at a press conference early on Saturday morning.
City authorities asked people to leave the Fronhof market area after the attack at around 22:00 local time (21:00 BST) on Friday, while police set up a security cordon.
Rescue teams were at the scene to treat the injured and police later deployed 40 tactical vehicles to hunt for the stabbing suspect, according to German news agency Bild.
These vehicles are commanded by SEK (Special Forces) officers.
Roads were blocked and residents were asked to stay indoors while police carried out searches.
Speaking on Friday, Philipp Müller, one of the festival’s organisers, said people were shocked but had left the square peacefully after the attack.
Witness Lars Breitzke told the Solinger Tageblatt newspaper that he knew something was wrong when he saw a singer on stage with a strange expression on his face.
“And then someone fell just a meter away from me,” he said.
Police spokesman Alexander Kresta was quoted by German media as saying “we now believe it is one person” after speaking to several witnesses.
Police also said they had “no information on his whereabouts” or details about his appearance.
In a statement on Facebook, Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach said: “Tonight, all of us in Solingen are shocked, horrified and deeply saddened. We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we must mourn the dead and injured.
“I am heartbroken that an attack has occurred in our city. I am in tears thinking of those who have died. I pray for all those who are still fighting for their lives. I also send my deepest condolences to all those who have had to go through this, these images must be horrifying.”
APSpeaking to the BBC late on Friday, Solinger Tageblatt deputy editor Björn Boch said the celebrations were “expected to last three days and the city is expecting 25,000 people each night.
“The city was packed,” he said, estimating “several thousand people” attended Friday’s free event.
