Janice R. Andrews
Berlin, Germany (Solingen) – Early Saturday morning, three people were killed and at least five others were badly hurt when a knife-wielding attacker attacked a fair in the peaceful city of Solingen. The shocking event happened in the Fronhof, the city’s main square, during the “Festival of Diversity,” a party to mark the city’s 650th birthday.
Details of the Attack Come to Light
Witnesses say the attack happened just after 9:30 p.m. local time, and they quickly called the police. The unknown attacker, who was described as acting alone, apparently walked through the crowd stabbing people without regard for who they were. Even though the police arrived quickly, the attacker was able to get away, leaving a path of chaos and grief in their wake.
The festival turns into a tragedy
There was a sudden end to the “Festival of Diversity,” which was supposed to be a happy celebration of Solingen’s rich past and culture. Philipp Müller, who helped put together the event, went on stage to talk to the shocked crowd. “Please go calmly; keep your eyes open, because unfortunately, the perpetrator hasn’t been caught,” Müller told the crowd as word spread of the horrible crime.
People who were at the event said it was a scene of fear as people ran to get to safety. Celine Derikartz, a local writer for Solinger Tageblatt who covered the event, said it was “spooky” and that the mood quickly changed from happy to shocked and sad. “People were crying because they couldn’t believe what had happened,” she said.
Right Away Response
Emergency services got to the scene quickly, and there were a lot of cops and ambulances in the area. During the search for the attacker, at least one chopper was seen flying around above. The streets around the square were blocked off, and there were a lot of cops around all night.
Five people were badly hurt in the attack, according to the authorities. Herbert Reul, the region’s top security official, said that number could go up to six. State Minister of the Interior for North Rhine-Westphalia, Reul, visited the scene early Saturday morning and talked about how shocked and confused everyone is. Reul said, “None of us knows why this attack happened.” He also said that the attack’s goal is still unknown.
“City in Mourning”
The event has left the city of Solingen, which has about 160,000 people, in shock. In a Facebook post, Mayor Tim Kurzbach showed his sadness by writing, “This evening, we in Solingen are all in shock.” We all wanted to celebrate the anniversary of our city together, but now there are dead and hurt people to mourn. The rest of the festival’s events have been scrapped because the city is still sad about the deaths and the pointless violence that has broken up the community.
There are more worries about knife violence.
More and more people are worried that the number of knife-related crimes in Germany is going up. A police officer was killed earlier this year when an Afghan immigrant attacked with a knife a group of people who were against “political Islam.” Nancy Faeser, Germany’s Interior Minister, wants to make gun laws stricter so that people can’t carry big knives in public. This is in response to the rising violence.
As the investigation into the attack in Solingen goes on, the people who live there are dealing with the fear and confusion that have ruined what should have been a happy weekend. The police are asking anyone with knowledge to come forward because they are working hard to catch the criminal.
