The suspect for the knife attack in the city of Solingen in the west of Germany, in which three people were killed, was today ordered into custody for murder and membership in a terrorist organization.
A judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe ordered the detention of 26-year-old Syrian Isa Al H. pending further investigation and possible indictment after federal prosecutors said he shares the radical ideology of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group and that it led him to attack festival-goers on Friday .
The verdict came after the suspect surrendered, saying he was responsible for the attack, police said. He is also suspected of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm, prosecutors said.
The suspect was taken with his hands and feet tied today from the police station in Solingen for his first court appearance.
"He shares the ideology of IS and based on his radical Islamic beliefs, he decided to kill as many of those he considers infidels as possible at the festival," the Federal Prosecutor's Office said.
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The suspect is a citizen of Syria who has applied for asylum in Germany, the police confirmed to the Associated Press agency.
The DPA agency reported that his request for asylum was rejected and that he should have been deported last year.
On Saturday, the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. The 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 elsewhere".
People alerted police shortly after 21.30:67 p.m. local time on Friday that a man had attacked several people with a knife in the city's central Fronhof square. The three killed were two men aged 56 and 56 and a XNUMX-year-old woman. Police said the attacker deliberately aimed for the heads of his victims.
Solingen, a city of about 160.000 near the major cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf, held a "Festival of Diversity" to celebrate the city's anniversary. It started on Friday and was supposed to last until Sunday, with several stages in the central streets. The attack happened in front of a stage.
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