A manhunt is under way in Germany after three people were stabbed to death at a diversity festival.
Officials said six people were injured when a man began knifing revellers at random during the event in Solingen, west Germany.
Police said the attacker is still at large and is believed to have been acting alone. His identity is not known.
The attack is being treated by officials as terror, German media reported.
Officers were called to the city centre at about 9.45pm local time (8.45pm UK) on Friday night after witnesses said a man began indiscriminately stabbing festival goers in the neck.
Thousands of locals had gathered for the Festival of Diversity in Solingen’s Fronhof, or city square, where pop groups were playing on a number of stages as part of celebrations to mark the city’s 650th anniversary.
Festival goers were quickly evacuated after one of the event organisers appeared on stage and told them to “go calmly – please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught”.
Tube and Berger, a pair of DJs who were set to perform at the festival on Friday, said their set had been cancelled because of the attack.
“Beyond devastated,” they posted on X/Twitter.
“Our show in our beloved hometown #solingen got canceled last minute. Several people got stabbed.
“Stay safe everyone!”
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Solingen is located, is now on high alert.
At least one police helicopter was seen in the air, while many officers and emergency vehicles with flashing blue lights were on the road and several streets were closed off.
The region’s top security official, Herbert Reul, said six people had been injured, though their conditions are not known.
Forensics teams were scouring the city square in the early hours as they search for clues over the identity of the knifeman.
‘It breaks my heart’
Mr Reul said he did not know of a motive for the attack or who the perpetrator was, only that he fled the scene “relatively quickly”.
“None of us knows why” the attack took place, he said.
Mayor Tim Kurzbach said in a Facebook post that “this evening, we in Solingen are all in shock. We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now have dead and wounded to lament.”
“It breaks my heart that an attack on our city happened,” he added.
“I have tears in my eyes when I think of those we have lost. I pray for all those who are still fighting for their lives.”
The local newspaper, Solinger Tageblatt quoted Celine Derikartz, its reporter covering the festival, as saying that “the atmosphere is spooky.” She said a party atmosphere had turned to shock within minutes and she saw festival goers weeping.
The Festival of Diversity, which has now been cancelled, began on Friday and was supposed to run until Sunday evening, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.
Approximately 80,000 people were expected to attend.
Solingen has about 160,000 residents and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf.
Knife crime fears in Germany
There has been concern about an increase in knife violence in Germany recently.
In May, a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant on members of a group that describes itself as opposing “political Islam” left a police officer dead.
In June, a 29-year-old policeman died after being stabbed in the German city of Mannheim during an attack on a right-wing demonstration.
There was a stabbing attack on a train in 2021, injuring several.
Germany’s top security official, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, earlier this month proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6 cms (nearly 2.4 inches) to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12 cms which is currently permitted.
Earlier this month, Ms Faeser said that Germany remained a target of Islamic terrorists.
She said the German intelligence services were in “very close contact” with Austrian authorities after a foiled attack led to the cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts.
German officials previously warned that major events in the country had been targeted by terror groups, including the Euro 2024 tournament.
02:01 AM BST
We’re pausing our live coverage
We’re pausing our live coverage of the attack in Germany – but this article will be updated frequently with the latest news.
01:32 AM BST
Armed special police on the scene
Germany’s armed special police officers have been deployed to assist at the scene in Solingen.
01:07 AM BST
Official: Six people have been injured
The region’s top security official, Herbert Reul, said the number of people injured could be six.
Mr Reul visited the scene in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“None of us knows why” the attack took place, said Mr Reul, who is the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state.
“I can’t say anything about the motive now” he said, adding that it is not clear who the assailant was,
The attacker left the scene “relatively quickly”, Mr Reul said.
01:00 AM BST
‘At least three fighting for their lives’
An editor at the local newspaper in Solingen has described the chaos that unfolded when the stabbings began in front of the stages.
Bjorn Boch, who is deputy editor-in-chief of Solinger Tageblatt, said he suspects at least six people are “seriously injured”.
“At least three probably fighting for their lives, three others heavily injured,” he told the BBC. “It’s a tragedy. It’s terrible”.
He added: “People were running away from the scene. Many were very calm so we didn’t have to panic but it was shocking and everybody who had to see that – I can’t imagine what that was like.”
12:49 AM BST
Pictured: Forensics teams search for clues
12:18 AM BST
Police looking for lone suspect
Police in Germany say that the perpetrator of the attack in Solingen is still on the run, and that they so far have only very thin information on the assailant.
They believe the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker.
11:49 PM BST
‘An act of brutal and senseless violence’
State Premier Hendrik Wüst says North Rhine-Westphalia “is united in shock and grief”.
In these dark hours, the people of our state and beyond are with Solingen with their hearts and thoughts. An act of brutal and senseless violence has struck our state to the heart. The whole of North Rhine-Westphalia stands by the people of Solingen, especially the victims and their families. A big thank you goes to the many rescue workers and our police who are fighting for people’s lives at this very moment.”
11:46 PM BST
Pictured: Tents set up in city square
11:33 PM BST
Attack ‘being treated as terror’
The man is said to have directly stabbed his victims’ necks with the knife, so investigators are classifying the crime as a terrorist attack, Bild reports.
11:20 PM BST
I saw pools of blood, says eyewitness
Eyewitness Lars Breitzke told the Solinger Tageblatt that he was standing in front of the stage on the Fronhof, the city’s central square, when the crime apparently occurred a few metres away from him.
He saw a shocked expression on singer Suzan Töpfer’s face and then he says “a person fell over just a metre next to me.”
At first he thought they were drunk but when he turned around, he saw more people lying on the ground, and pools of blood.
11:18 PM BST
Three people confirmed dead
At least three people are confirmed to have been killed in the stabbing attack in Solingen.
The German interior ministry confirmed that multiple people have been injured and the suspect is still at large.
11:09 PM BST
Mayor: ‘City is in horror’
The Mayor of Solingen says his city is in “shock, horror and great sadness”.
Tim Kurzbach, of the Social Democrats, posted on Facebook: “We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we have dead and injured people to mourn.”
11:04 PM BST
‘People are shocked’, says festival organiser
Armed officers and a police helicopter have been deployed and thousands of partygoers were peacefully evacuated from the festival in Solingen.
The festival’s co-organiser, Philipp Muller, said “people are shocked but left the square peacefully”.
Celine Derikart, a local reporter, said the atmosphere around the city was “spooky”.
80,000 people had been expected at the festival over the weekend.
10:57 PM BST
Festival performances cancelled after stabbing
Two DJs who were set to perform at the festival on Friday said their set had been cancelled because of the attack.
“Beyond devastated,” they posted on X/Twitter.
“Our show in our beloved hometown #solingen got canceled last minute. Several people got stabbed.
“Stay safe everyone!”
10:57 PM BST
Where is Solingen?
Solingen is a city in west Germany with about 160,000 inhabitants.
It lies about 15 miles (25 km) east of Düsseldorf and north east of Cologne.
The festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary began on Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday.
10:47 PM BST
At least three dead, German media reports
The German newspaper Bild is reporting that the suspect stabbed people at random at the festival in Solingen.
Bild reports that at least three people were dead and multiple people have been wounded.
It also reports the incident happened at around 21:45 local time (20:45 BST), and that witnesses say the attacker was still at large.
10:40 PM BST
No arrests made yet, say police
The attacker is believed to have fled the scene, and police have launched a manhunt. Police helicopters were seen hovering above the city, according to reports.
10:39 PM BST
The scene in pictures
10:37 PM BST
Emergency workers treating ‘nine people’
The local Solinger Tageblatt newspaper reported that authorities called on people to leave downtown Solingen and that one of the festival organizers, Philipp Müller, said on a stage that emergency workers were fighting for the lives of nine people.
The dpa report cited unidentified police sources as saying the weapon was believed to be a knife and no one had yet been arrested. The attack happened on a central square, the Fronhof.
The festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary began on Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday.
Solingen has about 160,000 inhabitants and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf.
10:31 PM BST
Breaking: Knife attack in Germany
Several people are understood to have been killed with more hurt in the attack in Solingen.
Follow the latest news in our live blog.