Three killed in Germany festival knife attack

BBC:

Three people have been killed and another four seriously injured in a knife attack in the western German city of Solingen, police say.

The attack happened during a festival in the city centre on Friday evening. The attacker is reported to be still at large.

Bild website says a man randomly stabbed passers-by. A huge manhunt is now under way, with police helicopters seen hovering above the city.

The industrial city was celebrating 650 years since it was founded.

The city authorities asked people to leave the Fronhof market area, as police set up security cordons, following the attack at about 22:00 local time (21:00 BST).

Emergency crews at the scene were seen treating the injured, media reports said.

Police later deployed 40 tactical vehicles in the hunt for the stabbing suspect, according to Bild.

The vehicles are being commanded by SEK (Special Task Force) officers.

Roads have been blocked, and residents asked to stay indoors as officers carry out their search.

Philipp Müller, one of the festival organisers, said the emergency crews were fighting for the lives of nine people, the Solinger Tageblatt newspaper reports.

“People are shocked, but left the square peacefully,” Mr Müller said.

Eyewitness Lars Breitzke told the newspaper that he knew something was wrong when he saw a singer on stage with a strange expression on their face.

“And then a person fell over just a metre away from me,” he said.