FRANKFURT. A 26-year-old Syrian man is in police custody following a brutal stabbing rampage in Solingen, Germany, that left three people dead and eight others injured. Authorities confirmed on Sunday that the suspect, who has confessed to the crime, is now under investigation for possible connections to the Islamic State (ISIS).
The attack occurred on Friday evening during a festival in the Fronhof market square, where live bands were performing to celebrate Solingen’s 650-year history. In the aftermath, mourners have set up a makeshift memorial near the scene of the tragedy.
The suspect, who resided in a refugee home in Solingen, surrendered to authorities late on Saturday and admitted his involvement in the attack. Düsseldorf police and prosecutors, in a joint statement, said, “The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation.”
The incident, along with ISIS’s claim of responsibility, has sparked widespread concern and debate among German politicians. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition center-right CDU party, has called for a halt to admitting refugees from Syria and Afghanistan, declaring, “It’s enough!” in a statement on his website.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister, Herbert Reul, confirmed that the suspect’s residence at the refugee home had been searched as part of the ongoing investigation. Der Spiegel magazine, citing unidentified security sources, reported that the suspect had arrived in Germany late in 2022 and had sought asylum.
Federal prosecutors have taken over the case, focusing on whether the suspect has ties to ISIS. The group, in a statement on its Telegram account on Saturday, described the attacker as a “soldier of the Islamic State,” although it provided no evidence to support this claim, and the suspect’s exact connection to the group remains unclear.
The premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, labeled the attack as an act of terror on Saturday, echoing growing concerns about jihadist-motivated violence in Germany. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Germany has witnessed around a dozen Islamist-motivated attacks since 2000, including a major incident in 2016 when a Tunisian drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring dozens more.
“The risk of jihadist-motivated acts of violence remains high. The Federal Republic of Germany remains a direct target of terrorist organizations,” the BKA stated in a report released earlier this year.
As the investigation continues, German authorities are under pressure to reassess security measures and consider tighter controls on immigration, as well as stricter penalties for violent crimes. The tragic events in Solingen have once again brought the issue of terrorism and national security to the forefront of public discourse in Germany.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
