Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a attack late Friday in Solingen, which left three people dead and eight others injured. The militant group said the attacker is a “soldier of the Islamic State” and that he targeted Christians, according to reports.
The killings were “in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere,” Islamic State said, according to the reports. It was not clear how close the link was between the attacker and Islamic State.
Herbert Reul, interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, declined to say whether German authorities believed the Islamic State statement was authentic.
Reul announced the arrest on German TV late Saturday without giving any details, saying the investigation was ongoing. He said police found evidence related to the arrested person. “The man we’ve really been looking for the whole day has just been taken into custody,” he told ARD public TV.
The suspect is affiliated with a home for refugees in Solingen that had been searched on Saturday, the authorities said on Sunday.