At least 3 people dead and 6 injured in a knife attack at a festival in Germany

At a festival in the west German city of Solingen late on Friday, a knife-wielding attacker killed three people and gravely injured at least six more, according to authorities.

Shortly after 9.30 p.m. local time, witnesses reported to authorities that an unidentified criminal had used a knife to randomly injure multiple individuals on the Fronhof, a central square. According to the police, very little information on the attacker has been available to them thus far, and he is currently on the run.

Five people are listed as badly hurt by the police. Herbert Reul, the top security official for the area, inspected the scene early on Saturday and provided a figure of six.

"None of us knows why" the attack took place, said Reul, who is the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state.

“This evening we are all in shock, horror and great sadness in Solingen. We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we have to mourn dead and injured people,” Mayor Tim Kurzbach said in a statement.

A police official stated at a press conference that the "current assessment is that this was a deliberate attack." When reporters inquired about the possibility of a terror strike, the spokesperson issued a warning, saying, "That would just be speculation." I'm not able to say that right now.

Starting on Friday and expected to go until Sunday, the city's 650th anniversary celebration, known as the "Festival of Diversity," featured live music, cabaret, and acrobatic performances on many stages located in the major streets.

Following the incident, the city decided to postpone the remainder of the festival.