WorthyNews: Islamic State Claims Stabbing In Germany, Killing Three

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BERLIN/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Saturday for a knife attack in the western German city of Solingen that killed three people and injured eight others.

The Islamic group said in a statement on its social media Telegram account that the attack was carried out by one of its members “in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere”

It did not immediately provide any evidence for its assertion, and it was not clear how close any relationship between the attacker and Islamic State was.

Earlier, police said they did not rule out a “terrorist motive” after the mass stabbing at a festival in Solingen on Friday night.

The announcement came as a manhunt was underway for more suspects. A 15-year-old has been arrested in connection to the attack, officials said. The three people killed were two men, 67 and 56, and a woman, 56, according to authorities.

Police said that they had found “multiple knives” in the area and were looking at which, if any, were used in the attack.

The knife attacks occurred during a festival “of diversity” to mark the city’s 650th anniversary, which began on Friday and was supposed to run through to Sunday.

POLICE ALERTED

Witnesses alerted police shortly after 9.30 p.m. local time on Friday night, and officials canceled the remainder of the weekend festival.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said the perpetrator “must be caught quickly and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

The country’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, posted an update on social media platform X, stating that police were still searching for the attacker and trying to establish a motive.

It comes at a time of mounting concern about a rise in knife attacks in Europe’s largest economy.

Police say there has been a nearly 6 percent year-on-year increase in serious bodily assaults using a knife, to 8,951 cases in 2023 compared with 2022.

These included attacks in which victims were injured or threatened with a knife.

Federal police, who are also responsible for security at railway stations, said knife crimes there had soared last year to 777 attacks, with 430 cases recorded in the first half of this year.

MANY STAB WOUNDS

Charité Hospital in Berlin reported treating as many stab wounds in the first six months of 2024 as in the entirety of 2023, according to public broadcaster RBB – about 50 to 55 cases.

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland party linked the rise in attacks to an influx of mainly Muslim migrants, but others warned against blaming groups.

Party co-leader Alice Weidel last month claimed in a television interview that there had been “more than 15,000” knife crimes in 2023, calling it a “record” and accusing young immigrant men of being disproportionately responsible.

Weidel later corrected last year’s figure to 13,844, which included robberies in which a knife was used to threaten the victim.

Federal police have only been collecting specific statistics on knife crime since 2021, making annual comparisons difficult and reliant on data compiled from individual states, according to experts.

With tensions rising, Minister Faeser suggested only allowing the carrying of knives with blade lengths of 6 centimeters (about 2.3 inches), down from the 12 centimeters (some 4.7 inches) currently allowed, with exceptions only for household knives in closed packaging that have just been bought.

She told public broadcaster ARD: “We want a general ban on dangerous switchblades and will present the relevant amendments to weapons laws soon.” The minister added that local governments should create more weapon-free zones, particularly knife-free zones, in their communities.

“Brutal violent acts are being carried out with knives that lead to the worst injuries or can be deadly,” she said.

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