Solingen [Germany], August 26 : A Syrian man brought himself in and admitted to stabbing three people to death and several others at a festival in the western German city of Solingen on Friday, CNN reported citing the police.
The incident claimed the lives of two men, ages 67 and 56, and a lady, age 56.
It stunned Germany and led opposition parties to demand stricter immigration laws. The 26-year-old is accused by German prosecutors of being an ISIS member. Via its Amaq news agency, the terrorist group claimed responsibility for the incident. But it provided no proof to support that claim.
In a statement, prosecutors said that due to his "radical Islamist convictions, [the suspect] decided to kill as many people as possible at the Solingen city festival."
The suspect went on a significant manhunt before turning himself in. The man stated, "I'm the one you're looking for," to the officers while covered in blood, according to the daily Bild, reported CNN. Because of the event, authorities had previously searched a refugee shelter. A 15-year-old kid was also taken into custody by the police in relation to the incident.
Residents of Solingen had been advised to be cautious and vigilant while the perpetrator remained on the run. The authorities had been unable to identify the attacker for hours following the horrific stabbing.
The attack happened at the "Festival of Diversity" on a central square, the Fronhof. The festival is being held in the city over the weekend to mark the 650th anniversary of its founding.
The three-day festival started on Friday, according to the festival's website and it was supposed to include music, food, performances, and family-friendly entertainment. Meanwhile, several German leaders have called for stricter gun laws after the incident.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said, "We don't know whether the terrible crime in Solingen could have been prevented with stricter laws." He added that some tightening of weapons restrictions is simply right and necessary.
"More weapons-free zones and stricter weapons laws nobody in Germany needs cutting and stabbing weapons in public. We are no longer living in the Middle Ages," Habeck said.
Habeck, a Green, is among several German political leaders who have urged tighter weapons rules in the wake of the attack.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) has also called for significantly stricter weapons laws.
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, from the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), said ministers will have to discuss new laws that "can further advance the fight against this type of knife crime."
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