Multicultural festival ends in carnage as Arab strikes with knife Published on 24 August 2024 at 09.46 am FOREIGN A man of Arab appearance is being hunted after a knife attack on a multicultural festival in the German town of Solingen left three people dead and eight injured, reports German Bild.
Share article Tweet Share A major knife attack rocked Solingen on Friday night when an Arab armed with a knife randomly attacked festival-goers at the city's Festival of Diversity. According to police in Düsseldorf, three people were killed and eight injured, five of them seriously, in the attack which took place at around 9.40pm at Fronhof Square in the city centre.
Police have deployed extensive resources, including special forces from across North Rhine-Westphalia, to hunt down the perpetrator who is still at large. A temporary crisis centre has been set up, and residents have been advised to stay indoors. The festival was cancelled immediately after the incident.
The Mayor of the City of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, expressed his sadness on social media, emphasising how the festival, which was supposed to be a day of multiculturalism and joy, turned into a tragedy. Police are continuing their intensive search for the perpetrator and the murder weapon, while the investigation is ongoing to understand the motive behind Friday's brutal attack.
The organisers covered up the attack while the Arab was stabbing: "We don't want to panic" Published 24 August 2024 at 10.20 UTRIKES During a gig at the Solingen Multicultural Festival, DJ Tobias Topic was asked to continue playing, despite the fact that an Arab with a knife was attacking the audience at the time. Share article Tweet Share During Tobias Topic's performance, a person came on stage and informed him that a knife attack had taken place, but asked him to continue playing anyway to avoid panic among the thousands of festival participants.
The perpetrator managed to kill three people and injure ten more, five of them seriously, before the music was finally shut down after about 20 minutes and visitors were finally informed of what had happened. The perpetrator managed to flee the scene, perhaps as a result of the organisers' cover-up, and an intense police hunt is still ongoing. The festival, which was due to continue over the weekend, has now been cancelled and large parts of Solingen are cordoned off. Helicopters are still searching for the suspected Arab.