German police say a man has turned himself in and claims to be behind deadly knife attack at Solingen festival

A 26-year-old man turned himself in to police, saying he was responsible for the Knife attack in Solingen which left three dead and eight injured during a festival commemorating the city’s 650th anniversary, German authorities announced early Sunday.

Düsseldorf police said in a joint statement with the public prosecutor’s office that the man “declared responsibility for the attack.”

“The involvement of this person in the crime is currently being intensively investigated,” the statement said.

The suspect is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in Germany, police confirmed to The Associated Press news agency.

On Saturday, the Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence. The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and carried out the attacks on Friday night “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” The claim could not be independently verified.

The attack comes amid a debate over immigration ahead of regional elections next Sunday in the German regions of Saxony and Thuringia, where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well. In June, Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised the country would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again after an Afghan migrant went on a knife attack that left a police officer dead and four people injured.

On Saturday, a A synagogue in France was the target of an arson attackFrench police said they made an arrest early Sunday.

What happened during the Solingen attack?

Solingen, a city of about 160,000 inhabitants located close to the larger cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf, celebrated its anniversary with a “Festival of Diversity.”

The festival began on Friday and was scheduled to run through Sunday, with several stages on central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

The attack took place in front of a stage. Shortly after 9.30pm on Friday, people alerted the police to the presence of an attacker who had injured several people with a knife.

At least three people were killed, according to authorities: two men aged 67 and 56 and a woman aged 56. Police said the attacker apparently deliberately targeted his victims’ throats.

The festival was cancelled as police searched for clues in the cordoned-off square.

Friday’s attack plunged the city of Solingen into shock and grief. Residents gathered to mourn the dead and injured, placing flowers and notes near the site of the attack.

“What?” asked a sign placed among candles and teddy bears. Why?

Among those who asked this question was Cord Boetther, a 62-year-old businessman from Solingen.

“Why does this have to be done? It’s incomprehensible and it hurts,” Boetther said.

Authorities had previously said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion that he knew about the planned attack and did not inform authorities, but that he was not the attacker. Two female witnesses told police they had heard the boy and an unknown person before the attack talking about intentions that included bloodshed, authorities said.

The militant group ISIS declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria about a decade ago, but now has no control over any territory and has lost many prominent leaders. The group is largely out of the international news headlines.

But it continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including deadly operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that killed dozens of people. Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq continue to carry out attacks against government forces in both countries, as well as U.S.-backed Syrian fighters.

Haley Ott contributed to this report.