Syrian National Suspected of Murder and Terrorism in Germany Knife Attack
During a ‘Festival of Diversity’ celebrating its 650th anniversary, three people were killed and another eight wounded in a stabbing spree in the city.
A Syrian national is in custody on suspicion of murder and belonging to a terrorist group in connection with the knife attack in Solingen, Germany, which resulted in three deaths and eight injuries.
Issa Al H. was ordered to be held pending further investigation and a potential indictment by a judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe on Sunday.
According to federal prosecutors, he adheres to the beliefs of ISIS and carried out the stabbing spree at a “Festival of Diversity” that marked the city’s 650th anniversary on August 23.
The 26-year-old is accused of repeatedly stabbing individuals in the head and upper body from behind during the attack.
Following his confession at the police station in Solingen, Issa Al H. was taken to court in handcuffs and leg restraints for his initial appearance on Sunday.
Authorities state that Issa Al H. “shares the ideology of the foreign terrorist organization Islamic State” and decided to “kill the largest possible number of those he considers unbelievers” due to his “radical Islamic convictions” at the festival.
On ISIS’ news site, it was claimed that the attacker focused on Christians and conducted the stabbings “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere.”
The attack on Friday left Solingen, a city of about 160,000 known for its blade production and located approximately 17 miles east of Duesseldorf, in a state of shock and sorrow.
Police were alerted shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Friday about a man stabbing several individuals on the city’s central square, the Fronhof.
The victims included two men aged 56 and 67, and a 56-year-old woman, with authorities noting that the attacker aimed for their throats deliberately.
‘Why?’
The festival, which was scheduled to run until Sunday, was canceled as police investigated the square.
Residents gathered to mourn the deceased and injured instead, leaving flowers and notes near the scene of the attack.
Among the candles and teddy bears at a makeshift memorial near the scene was a sign with the word “Warum?” (“why” in German).
Grief-stricken merchant Cord Boettcher from the town echoed the sentiment of the sign, asking, “Why does something like this have to happen? It’s incomprehensible and it hurts.”
The attack comes amid ongoing debates over immigration leading up to regional elections in Germany’s Saxony and Thuringia regions on September 1.
Alternative für Deutschland, a political party that has emphasized reducing immigration, is expected to perform well in the elections.
In response to an incident in Manneheim where an Afghan immigrant killed a police officer, Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria.
Although ISIS has lost territorial control in Iraq and Syria, the group continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for attacks worldwide, including recent incidents in Iran and Russia that resulted in numerous fatalities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
