Jihadist militant group claims responsibility for knife attack in Germany that left 3 dead

The jihadist militant group known as Islamic State claimed responsibility for a knife attack at a German festival that left three people dead and eight injured, according to reports.

The group wrote on its Telegram account that the attack was “in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere,” according to the New York Post.

A 15-year-old male was arrested Saturday in connection with the attack. Police said he was not the alleged attacker, who is still on the run and is "understood to be a lone male," according to CNN.

The stabbing took place in Solingen, Germany, on Friday. 

Police Chief Markus Röhrl said that multiple knives were found and a "terrorist" attack hasn't been ruled out, according to the New York Post. 

Röhrl said that the attacker tried to go for peoples' necks and throats during the attack. Two men aged 67 and 56, and a woman aged 56 were killed in the attack. Of the eight wounded, four suffered life-threatening injuries.

It took place at the “Festival of Diversity,” which is a three-day event that marks the 650th anniversary of Solingen's founding, according to CNN. 

"The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on the social media platform, X. "An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen's mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families."

Police data shows that there were nearly 9,000 knife crime incidents in Germany in 2023 that caused serious bodily harm. That is an average of about 25 such crimes per day. Germany's population is about one-quarter the size of the U.S. population.