Manhunt in Germany after three killed in stabbing attack at festival

A stabbing rampage in which a man killed three people and wounded eight others at a festival in the western German city of Solingen was "a possible act of terrorism", an official said on Aug 24, as the search for the unknown assailant continued.

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Police said they had detained a 15-year-old and were investigating whether the individual is linked to the attacker, who is still at large.

Mr Markus Caspers, an official with the public prosecutor's office in Duesseldorf, said at an afternoon news conference that "terrorism" could not be ruled out since there was no other known motive. The victims also seemed unrelated.

A police official, Mr Thorsten Fleiss, confirmed at the same briefing that the assailant appeared to aim for his targets' throats.

"The investigation and manhunt for possible further perpetrators and reasons for the crime are in full swing," the police said in a statement.

The incident occurred at around 9.40pm on Aug 23 (3.40am on Aug 24 in Singapore), when thousands had gathered for the first night of a "Festival of Diversity", part of a series of events to mark Solingen's 650th anniversary.