German police detain 'real suspect' in deadly Solingen knife attack

German police have detained a "real suspect" in connection with the knife attack in Solingen that left three people dead, North Rhine Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul told broadcaster ARD on Saturday night.

Reul said the suspect is currently being questioned. A spokesman for the state Interior Ministry confirmed that the man had turned himself in.

Reul said that the detention of the suspect was the result of following a lead. He said he was "a little relieved," emphasizing that there was more than just a suspicion against the man as there were also "pieces of evidence."

"The person we were really looking for all day is now in custody," he said, adding that it was too early to say whether the arrest was ultimately a success.

According to the Spiegel magazine, the suspect is a 26-year-old man who came to Germany at the end of December 2022 and applied for asylum.

The security authorities were not previously aware of him as a extremist.

The attack took place on Friday evening at a market square in the city centre where a stage was set up for live music during the Festival of Diversity, which was being thrown to celebrate Solingen's 650th anniversary.

Those killed in the attack were two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman.