Islamic State group claims responsibility for knife attack in Solingen, Germany, that killed 3

Police carry evidence out of a refugee accommodation in Solingen, western Germany, on Saturday in connection with the attack. Pic/AFP

The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a knife attack in Solingen, Germany, that left three people dead and eight others injured.

The group on its Amaq news site said that the attacker targeted Christians and is a 'soldier of the Islamic State' who carried out the attack 'to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere', news agency AP reported.

The police and the special forces raided a home for asylum seekers in the city centre of Solingen in connection with the attack, according to German news agency DPA.

"We have received tips and therefore, are currently conducting police activities," a police spokesperson said.

Special police units had joined the search for the unknown knifeman who cut the throats of revellers at a crowded festival in the western German city. Four of the injured have suffered serious wounds, the German police said.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested on Saturday as the police suspected that he did not inform about the attack despite having knowledge about it.

Markus Caspers from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutors office, while addressing a news conference on Saturday, said that the authorities have not found the perpetrator.

"So far we have not been able to identify a motive, but we are looking at the overall circumstances. We cannot rule out the possibility of terrorism," Caspers said, though he did not offer further details.

The three victims were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. The police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims' throats.

Thorsten Fleiss from the German police, who was the chief of operations on Friday night, said that the police are conducting various searches and investigations in the entire state of North Rhine Westphalia to nab the attacker.

He added that it is a "big challenge" to bring together the available evidence and testimony from witnesses to come up with a overall picture.

Fleiss also said that the police have found several knives but were unable to confirm if any of them have been used as weapon by the perpetrator during the attack.

The cops warned citizens to remain vigilant even as well wishers started to leave flowers at the scene to pay tributes to the victims. The authorities established an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the attack.

Churches in Solingen have opened their doors to offer a space for prayer and emergency pastoral care.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who paid a visit to Solingen on Saturday evening, said that the government would do everything possible to support the city and its people.

"We will not allow that such an awful attack divides our society," she said, appearing alongside Minister-President of the German State of North Rhine Westphalia Hendrik Wüst and State Minister for Internal Affairs Herbert Reul.

Wüst described the attack as "an act of terror against the security and freedom of this country". But Faeser, the country's top security official, has not classified the incident as a terror attack yet.

Reul announced that the planned visit of the interior minister to the crime scene would not take place because of the ongoing police operation in the affected areas of the city. He pleaded with the public to give time to the police so that they can do their work, adding that the police presence in the area would be increased for larger events, especially because the perpetrator is still on the run.

The incident came to light after locals alerted the police shortly after 9.30 pm on Friday about an unknown attacker who wounded several people with a knife on a central square, the Fronhof.

"Last night our hearts were torn apart. We in Solingen are full of horror and grief. What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep," the mayor of the city, Tim Kurzbach, said, while speaking to reporters on Saturday near the scene of the attack.

The Festival of Diversity, marking the city's 650th anniversary, began on Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

The attack took place in the crowd in front of a stage. Hours after the incident, the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators looked for clues in the cordoned-off square. The rest of the festival stands canceled following the attack.

Solingen has about 160,000 residents and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf.

Caspers told media that the 15-year-old boy arrested in the attack was picked up after two women contacted the police. The women claimed that they had heard a conversation between the boy and an unknown person before the attack, speaking about intentions that corresponded to the events that followed.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished with the full force of the law.

"The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly. An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen's mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families,¿ Scholz said on X.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to Kurzbach on Saturday morning. "The heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country. We mourn those killed and worry about those injured and I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart. The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. Let's stand together ¿ against hatred and violence," Steinmeier said in a statement on Saturday.

There have been growing concerns over the increased knife attacks in Germany. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6 centimeters (nearly 2.4 inches) to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) that is currently allowed.

(With AP inputs)