Islamic State claims responsibility for deadly knife attack in Germany

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a knife attack in Solingen, Germany, that resulted in three deaths and eight injuries during a festival.

Describing the attacker as a “soldier of the Islamic State,” the group stated the act was in retaliation for Muslim grievances, though no direct evidence of a connection between the attacker and the group has been provided.

The incident is being treated as a “possible terrorist act”, with authorities detaining a 15-year-old suspected of being linked to the attack, though the main perpetrator remains at large.

German officials, including North Rhine-Westphalia’s premier Hendrik Wuest, have condemned the attack, describing it as an act of terror that has deeply affected the nation.

In the aftermath police have launched a manhunt for the assailant, and the remainder of the festival has been cancelled. The incident has sparked political reactions, with the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party criticising Germany’s multicultural policies.