Solingen attack: German police say stabbing suspect, 26, turned himself in

Federal prosecutors said they were investigating a suspect on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and membership in a foreign terrorist organisation.

He is due to make a first appearance before a judge later on Sunday.

The suspect is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in Germany, police confirmed to The Associated Press.

A 26-year-old man handed himself in to police claiming to be responsible for the knife attack which killed three and left eight injured.

• A 26-year-old man has turned himself in to police claiming to be behind the deadly knife attack
• German Federal Prosecutors confirmed the man in custody is suspected of being a member of Islamic State
• It comes after IS claimed responsibility for the atrocity on Saturday, without providing any evidence
• Mourners are leaving left flowers, candles and tributes to the victims as the city reels from the attack

The German musician who goes by the name Topic said he was playing on a nearby stage when the Solingen attack occurred.

The DJ revealed he was told about the mass stabbing but was asked to continue “to avoid causing a mass panic attack”, he posted on Instagram.

He was eventually told to stop and “since the attacker was still on the run, we hid in a nearby store while police helicopters circled above us,” Topic wrote.

The man being held of over the Solingen festival stabbing is suspected of being a member of the Islamic State group, federal prosecutors said.

A spokesman for the German Federal Prosecutor confirmed the person in custody was being investigated for links to the extremist group, which has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A 26-year-old turned himself in to police amid a major manhunt following the deadly stabbing, which killed three and injured eight.

On Saturday police revealed they had detained a 15-year-old for questioning amid reports he knew about the attack beforehand but did not alert the authorities.

Police confirmed in a press conference that the detainee was a boy who was not believed to be the perpetrator of the attack, as the manhunt for the assailant continued.

The teen was allegedly seen speaking with the suspect moments before.

Later it emerged that a 26-year-old man had turned himself in to police, claiming to be the knifeman.

“This person’s involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated,” officials said.

A third man was also detained at a refugee centre close to the site of the attack.

Horrified festival-goers alerted police shortly after 9:30 pm on Friday that a knifeman had begun attacking people at random in Solingen, a city in west Germany.

Thousands had gathered in the central square, the Fronhof, for a ‘Festival of Diversity’ to celebrate the city’s 650th anniversary.

The party atmosphere rapidly turned to shock as the attack unfolded in front one of the festival stages.

The local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt quoted Celine Derikartz, its reporter covering the festival, as saying that she saw festival-goers weeping as news of the horror spread.

One of the festival organisers, Philipp Müller, appeared on stage and asked attendees to “go calmly”, adding: “Please keep your eyes open because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught.”

Two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman were killed and eight injured after the attacker appeared to deliberately aim for his victims’ throats.

German police revealed early on Sunday that a 26-year-old man had turned himself in, claiming to be behind the deadly Solingen knife attack.

Dusseldorf police said in a joint statement with the prosecutor’s office that the man “stated that he was responsible for the attack,” adding he had been arrested before, but didn’t provide details.

“This person’s involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated,” the statement said. On Saturday the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence.