Bloody deed in Solingen

Police find knife, boy (15) arrested

(Bild: AFP/APA/afp/Roberto Pfeil)

After the horrific act of bloodshed in Solingen, Germany, the police announced new details on Saturday afternoon. A knife was found not far from the scene of the crime, which is believed to be the weapon used by an unknown man to stab people indiscriminately. A 15-year-old boy is in police custody and may know the perpetrator. 

Three people were killed in the attack - the police have now ruled out a motive other than terrorism - and eight others were injured. Four of them are still in mortal danger, which is why the attacker is also being investigated for eight counts of attempted murder, the police said at a press conference on Saturday afternoon. 

15-year-old is said to know perpetrator
The 15-year-old, who was arrested shortly after the bloody attack, is still in police custody but is not the main suspect. According to German media reports, he is said to come from Kyrgyzstan and was arrested in a refugee shelter. Two witnesses had overheard a conversation between the arrested boy and another person before the crime. This was stated by the senior public prosecutor Markus Caspers. 

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Fotos

Whether the other person was the knife attacker has not yet been fully clarified. The women contacted the investigators after the attack, reports "Bild". The 15-year-old is currently facing possible charges of not reporting planned crimes. 

The police have video footage
Investigators have also been able to secure footage of the crime, which had previously been circulating on social networks. However, the perpetrator is not recognizable enough. "The material is not suitable for the publication of a specific person," said police director Thorsten Fleiß. The police also currently have slightly different descriptions of the perpetrators.

According to information from "Bild", investigators discovered the suspected murder weapon about 200 meters from the crime scene in a dustbin. However, the police only confirmed that several knives had been seized; whether the knife used in the attack was one of them remains to be seen.

Large contingent chases terrorists
The perpetrator is still on the run and a large police force is searching for the unknown man. The man attacked several people with a knife on Friday evening at around 9.40 pm. The victims were stabbed in the neck. The terrorist managed to escape in the turmoil and panic that initially spread after the attack.