Berlin, Aug 24 (EFE).- Police on Saturday made a second arrest in connection with the knife attack that left three dead and four critically injured in Solingen, western Germany, on Friday, and which was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
“We followed a tip and that’s why a special forces operation was carried out,” a police spokesman said after media reports that a search was underway at a refugee shelter in central Solingen.
“When the evidence is consolidated, an arrest is made. When we have results on the arrest that has been made, we will be able to say more,” the spokesman added.
When questioned by the media, he refused to confirm whether the arrested individual could be the author of the knife attack that took place on Friday night, when a crowd was attending a concert in the historic centre of the city, which was celebrating the 650th anniversary of its founding this weekend.
A few hours ago, at a joint press conference with the regional anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office, the police had already announced the arrest of a 15-year-old teenager in connection with the case, on suspicion that he had prior knowledge of the attacker’s plans.
Before the attack, two witnesses had heard a conversation in which an individual told the teenager – according to Kyrgyz media – that he was going to “stab them all.”
The attacker, believed to have acted alone, apparently stabbed people at random – although aiming “with great precision” at the victims’ necks, according to police – and then fled amid chaos and confusion.
Security forces in the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) region, where Solingen is located, have confirmed receipt of a letter of claim from IS, the authenticity of which they are trying to verify.
According to terrorism experts cited by German media, this is the first time that the jihadist group has claimed responsibility for an attack in Germany since 2016, when extremist Anis Amri rammed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 people. EFE
