German police searching for person suspected of killing 3 people at a festival

German police have launched a wide search operation in Germany's western city of Solingen after three people were killed and eight others injured during a knife attack at a festival late Friday.

The “Police are conducting a broad search operation for the capture of the 40x1>, the German police report said.

Large police forces, including special units, have gathered around the city center of Solingen.

“Even the victims, even witnesses are being questioned”, police said.

The attack occurred Friday, after 9:00 p.m., when the attacker stabbed some people in a square downtown.

Police said the suspect is on the run and that security authorities know very little about him.

According to police, the attack was carried out by a single attacker.

The “Multitype Festival”, which marks the city's 650th anniversary, began Friday and was due to be held until Sunday.

Solingen has some 160,000 inhabitants and is near large cities of Kil and Dusseldorf.

“We are deeply shocked by the brutal attack at the town's Solingen” festival, Germany's Defence Minister Nancy Fyser said in a communique Saturday.

Our “Security authorities are doing everything to grasp the”, she added.

Germany is concerned by an increase in the country's violent knife attacks, and Faeser recently proposed hardening weapons laws. It proposed that the public carry of knives up to six inches [6 cm] long instead of knives with 12 inches [12 cm] long that are currently allowed. /rel