Authorities are still searching for the perpetrator of a knife attack that killed three people in western Germany.
ISIL (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for a knife attack in Solingen, Germany, that killed three people and injured eight others, according to the group's news site, Amaq.
In a statement released on Saturday, the group said the attacker targeted Christians and was an “Islamic State soldier” who carried out the attack “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.”
The attack took place on Friday afternoon, when thousands of people were gathering in a central square to celebrate Solingen's 650th anniversary. The victims included a woman and two men.
Markus Caspers, from the anti-terrorist section of the public prosecutor's office, said at a press conference on Saturday that the authorities have not found the perpetrator.
“We have not been able to identify a motive at this time, but given the overall circumstances we cannot rule out” the possibility of terrorism, Caspers said, without offering further details.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested early Saturday morning. Caspers said he was arrested after two female witnesses contacted police. They said they had overheard a conversation between the boy and an unknown person before the attack, in which they discussed intentions that matched the events that followed.
Police, including special forces, also raided a home for asylum seekers in the city centre of Solingen, German news agency DPA reported.
“We have received information and that is why we are carrying out police activities at the moment,” a police spokesman said.
Thorsten Fleiss, the German police chief of operations on Friday night, said it was a “huge challenge” to bring together the available evidence and witness testimony to arrive at an overall picture.
Meanwhile, police have warned the public to remain vigilant until the perpetrator is found.
Interior and Social Affairs Minister Nancy Faeser visited Solingen on Saturday afternoon and said the government would do everything possible to support the city and its residents.
“We will not allow such a terrible attack to divide our society,” he said, alongside North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wust and State Minister for Internal Affairs Herbert Reul.
Wust called the attack “an act of terrorism against the security and freedom of this country,” but Faeser, the country’s top security official, has not classified it as a terrorist attack.
At its peak, IS controlled large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria and carried out several deadly attacks around the world. But the group suffered a territorial defeat in 2017 and its brutal rule collapsed after losing all areas it controlled to the Iraqi government and various parties in the Syrian civil war.
The group has previously claimed responsibility for attacks it was not involved in, including a mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.
In Solingen, police cordoned off the square on Saturday and passers-by placed candles and flowers outside the barriers.
Authorities also set up an online portal where witnesses could upload images and any other information relevant to the attack, while churches in Solingen opened their doors to offer prayer space and emergency pastoral care.
“We are very shocked and saddened,” Solingen Mayor Tim-Oliver Kurzbach told reporters.
The Diversity Festival, marking Solingen's 650th anniversary, began on Friday and was due to run until Sunday, with several stages on central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.
The authorities have cancelled the rest of the festival.
