Germany mass stabbing and French synagogue explosion: EU in peril

Police in Germany are searching for an unidentified suspect behind a mass stabbing at a Festival of Diversity on Friday night in the city of Solingen. Three people lost their lives and eight others sustained injuries, five of them seriously.

The brutal knife attack took place as thousands of people gathered at the central square in Solingen during celebrations to mark the city’s 650th anniversary. Police said they had deployed a “large contingent” to search for the male assailant still at large.

Organisers announce cancelling of rest of Festival of Diversity

On Friday night, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he hoped rescue teams could save the injured and that police could catch the “pathetic perpetrator”. The daily Bild reported that the suspect appeared to target the throats of his victims.

Emergency services had received several calls at about 9:30 pm, said a police spokesperson, stressing the need for information about the assailant, particularly his appearance, in order to make the search operation more targeted.

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Organisers of the Festival of Diversity announced the cancelling of the rest of the celebratory event – supposed to run through to Sunday. Friday night’s incident occurred amid a heated political debate about rising knife violence in different German cities.

One police officer injured in France synagogue explosion

In a separate incident on Saturday morning, an explosion took place outside a synagogue in southern France. Police are treating it as attempted arson. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called the incident “an obviously criminal act“.

The explosion occurred due to a couple of cars being set alight outside the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande-Motte. One of the vehicles contained a hidden gas bottle. Darmanin and the Prime Minister are expected to travel to the scene today.