A crazed man killed several people who were celebrating the ‘virtues’ of diversity at a major festival in Germany Friday night.
According to Bild, the event occurred around 9:45 P.M. local time at the Festival of Diversity in Solingen, a city around 25km east of Dusseldorf. The attack happened on a central square, the Fronhof.
German Police say there were no less than nine innocent people stabbed during the attack with at least three succumbing to their injuries. Emergency workers were reportedly fighting for the others.
Below is a video of the massive police and medical response to the horrific attack.
WATCH:
BREAKING: At least 9 people stabbed at Festival of Diversity in Solingen, Germany. Reports of multiple fatalities – FOCUS pic.twitter.com/vS610XkBHc
— BNO News (@BNONews) August 23, 2024
Witnesses told Bild that they saw an “Arab-looking man” flee from the scene of the attack. It is unknown whether the alleged perpetrator is a German citizen.
At this point, there have not been any arrests. The festival was shut down, and armed police guarded the area.
Authorities called on people to leave downtown Solingen until further notice.
A witness to the incident said that he was standing in front of the music stage at the event when he saw a “person fall over just one meter next to me.”
The city’s mayor, Tim Kurzbach, expressed his shock over the incident and mourn the dead in a Facebook post:
“Tonight, we are all in Solingen in shock, fright, and great sadness. We all wanted to celebrate our city anniversary together and now we have to mourn the dead and injured. It breaks my heart that there was an assassination attack on our town. Tears in my eyes when I think of those we have lost. I pray for all those who are still fighting for their lives.
“Also, to all the people who had to witness this, my great sympathies must have been terrible pictures. I thank all the emergency and security forces for their service. I ask that if you believe pray with me and if you don’t, then hope with me.”
“The Festival of Diversity,” which marked Solingen’s 650th anniversary, began on Friday and was scheduled to run through Sunday. Several stages in the streets had been offering several attractions, including live music, cabaret, and acrobatics.
