Man linked to Solingen stabbings under investigation

German police are believed to have held a 26-year-old Syrian man in custody on Sunday (25 August) after a knife attack in the city of Solingen, adding that they were looking into the suspect's possible links with Islamic State.

The stabbings, which occured on 23 August, left three people dead and eight injured.

Reuters reported that the Islamic State group earlier claimed responsibility for Friday's knife attack that also wounded eight people. The militant group said in a statement on its Telegram account that the attack was carried out by one of its members "in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere".

They said that the post did not immediately provide any evidence for its assertion and it was not clear how close any relationship between the attacker and Islamic State was.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said of the stabbings: "This was terrorism, terrorism against us all."

The suspect, known as Issa Al H, is under investigation for murder, attempted murder and "strong suspicions of belonging to a terrorist group abroad", the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Police also arrested a 15-year-old boy who is alleged to have known about the attack in advance.

The attack took place in Fronhof, a market square in Solingen where live bands were playing as part of a festival marking the city's 650th anniversary.