BERLIN

German police arrested the suspected assailant of the Solingen knife attack, authorities said on Saturday.

North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul told public broadcaster ARD that the suspect has been arrested this evening.

“We have just arrested the real suspect, now he is being questioned by the police, we'll get more clear information after the interrogation,” he said.

Three people were killed and eight others injured in the attack on Friday evening, during a live music show in Solingen's city center.

Der Spiegel news magazine reported that the suspected assailant was a 26-year-old Syrian immigrant, who arrived in Germany in 2022.

He turned himself in to police on Saturday evening, his clothes were dirty and covered in blood, the magazine reported, citing security sources.

Earlier on Saturday, Daesh/ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. But German authorities said they could not confirm the validity of those claims, as the investigation was still underway.