Witness to knife attack in Solingen, Germany: 'It was like in a movie – absolutely unimaginable'

On Friday evening, a festival was held to celebrate the 650th anniversary of the birth of the city of Solingen.

“I was standing on stage with a friend. At first, there was about ten minutes of beautiful music, but then I heard screaming, looked to the left and saw a man running, turned around and grabbed another man by the neck,” the eyewitness said.

– I thought he wouldn't come after us because he seems to attack people randomly.

The stabbing left three people dead and eight injured. Five of them were seriously injured, the Solinger Tageblatt newspaper reported.

Keep playing to avoid chaos.

DJ Topic was one of the artists performing at the festival in his hometown of Solingen. While Topic was on stage, the man attacked people in the audience. “To avoid mass panic,” he continued his concert.

“There were a lot of people in front of the stage, so it was clear that I would continue playing. The mass panic could have been worse,” he wrote in a commentary for SVT.

“It was a strange feeling to continue in this good mood as if nothing had happened.”

The festivities were subsequently cancelled and attendees were asked to leave the area, and the entire festival has now been cancelled.

Person arrested – possible connection investigated

A large-scale security operation involving special forces and a helicopter was deployed to search for the perpetrator. Police announced on Saturday afternoon that they had arrested a person during a search of a house in Solingen.

“It is being checked whether there could be a connection to the crime. At the same time, various police operations are underway.”

Interviews with the injured and witnesses are still ongoing, and the police spokesman is asking for the public's assistance through photos and videos of the incident.