Footage coming out of Solingen this morning shows quiet streets, being guarded by several police officers, and shuttered festival stalls.

Jessica Parker
Reporting from Solingen

There’s a strong police presence in the area where last night’s attack happened. And - as people continue to lay tributes - there’s a palpable sense of shock.

The atmosphere is muted and sombre. I’ve seen people walking past the scene looking visibly upset.

This was supposed to be a long weekend of boisterous celebrations for the town but now it’s one of mourning.

German police are due to give an update on their investigation later this afternoon.

They will speak alongside state prosecutors and Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach.

Meanwhile, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is due to visit Solingen this afternoon.

Image source, Reuters

We've just heard from Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach, who's been speaking to reporters in the city.

He says people in Solingen are "full of shock and grief" after last night's attack.

"Our hearts were torn apart," he says. "What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep."

Many of the attack's victims have family and friends in Solingen, he says.

The city has set up hotlines and an emergency counselling service for people who have been affected.

"We are working all night, all the time, to organise everything imaginable. Nevertheless, this great pain remains," he says.

"I continue to pray and hope that the relatives will find comfort. That the injured and wounded will recover. And I ask you to continue to hope and pray with us here in Solingen."

Jessica Parker
Reporting from Solingen

Thiemo was at the Solingen anniversary party with his girlfriend.

He says the community is shocked that something like this would happen in their town.

It’s something you imagine in bigger cities like Cologne or Paris, he says.

As they were in the midst of the crowd last night, he says they only realised something had happened when their family started calling and messaging to ask if they were OK.

Then people were asked not to panic and to calmly leave.

Jessica Parker
Reporting from Solingen

An entrance to the square - where last night’s event was held - is being guarded by police.

People can’t enter what is now a crime scene.

Some flowers and a scarf from a local football team have been laid on the pavement.

There’s a cluster of media and a steady stream of locals passing by, some of them stopping to look at the scene.

One couple - who were at the festival last night - have candles they’re going to leave in tribute to the victims.

We're now seeing more pictures from Solingen this morning, which show much of the city cordoned off.

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Image source, AFP

Up to 75,000 people were expected to visit Solingen this weekend to celebrate the city’s 650th anniversary.

The three-day “Festival of Diversity” was set to feature music, street theatre and comedy at venues across the city.

But this morning the streets are almost empty, with police roadblocks and cordons in place across much of the city as the search for the suspect continues.

The remainder of the festival was cancelled shortly after the fatal attack last night.

One of the festival organisers, Philipp Mueller, appeared on stage and urged festivalgoers to "go calmly; please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn't been caught", according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Thousands of people left the area, with one local journalist describing the atmosphere as "ghostly", according to AFP news agency.

As the search continues, here's a reminder of where exactly Solingen is.

Solingen is a city in west Germany with a population of about 160,000 people.

It lies about 15 miles (25 km) east of Düsseldorf and north east of Cologne.

The festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary began on Friday and was supposed to run through till Sunday.

Image source, Reuters

With the search for the suspect still ongoing, police this morning are urging caution in the city of Solingen.

"People in the city centre should be careful," a Düsseldorf police spokesman has said, according to Tagesschau., external

"Anyone who sees a suspicious person should immediately call 110 and not speak to them."

Large numbers of officers are involved in the search, which extends beyond the city. Roadblocks have been set up and special units have been deployed.

We've just been hearing from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who says the Solingen attack suspect must be caught quickly.

Writing on social media, he says: "The perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law."

He says the attack has "shocked me greatly", adding: "We mourn the victims and stand by their families".

Image source, Getty Images

A DJ, known professionally as Topic, says he was performing at a nearby stage at the city festival when the attack happened.

In a post on Instagram, Topic claims security personnel told him about the stabbing and asked him to continue playing his set to "avoid causing a mass panic".

"So I kept playing. Even though it was incredibly hard," he writes. "After about 10-15 minutes, the music was finally stopped, and the people were informed about the incident."

Topic, who is from Solingen, adds that he hid in a nearby store as the attacker was still on the run, and he saw police helicopters circling above him.

The attack happened at the Fronhof - a market square in Solingen where live bands were playing.

Image source, Reuters

More now from that press conference earlier this morning, where the region's interior minister said: "You don't want to believe what you see here at the crime scene.

"It weighs heavily. My thoughts are with the relatives of the victims and the injured.

"We can only pray that the seriously injured will survive."

Let's bring you more details from a press conference early in the morning at the scene of the stabbing in Solingen, where Wuppertal police spokesman Alexander Kresta and German Interior Minister Herbert Reul gave statements.

Kresta says at around 21:37 local time (20:37 BST) police received "several calls" from witnesses who told them that a "previously unknown perpetrator" had attacked people with a knife at the festival.

He adds that gathering a precise description of the perpetrator is "difficult".

"Witnesses are in shock or can't speak at the moment," he says. "We have to put everything together like a jigsaw puzzle so that we can now expand our search activities and look for the perpetrator."

He adds that authorities are assuming it's a "single offender" who is "on the run".

Kresta also says the lack of information about the perpetrator is a "huge problem", according to German media.

Germany's interior minister Nancy Faeser says the "brutal attack" at the festival has "shocked us deeply".

"We mourn the people whose lives were snatched from them in such a terrible way. My thoughts are with the families of those killed and those seriously injured," she says in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Faeser adds that security authorities are "doing everything they can to catch the perpetrator" and to determine a motive.

Damien McGuinness
Reporting from Berlin

Solingen is in a state of shock this morning, after three people were killed in a stabbing at a local festival last night.

The attacker, who is still on the run, appears to have been acting alone.

Police have blocked off roads and have asked eye witnesses to contact them directly with any information or pictures via a special hotline.

It’s still not clear what was behind the attack and politicians have called on people to avoid any speculation, saying there is so far no evidence about who the perpetrator was.

According to one German media report the attacker stabbed people indiscriminately with a knife. The region’s leader Hendrik Wüst called the stabbing a brutal and senseless act of violence.

We're restarting our live coverage of a fatal stabbing that took place in the city of Solingen in western Germany last night.

Police have launched a large-scale search for the attacker who killed three people and wounded eight others during a festival to mark the anniversary of the city's founding.

Witness reports say a man stabbed passers-by at random. The motive for the attack is still not clear.

Stay with us as our team in London and Berlin bring you the latest updates.

We are now pausing our live coverage of the knife attack in the German city of Solingen, where three people were killed and four seriously injured.

You can stay across any future developments in this story here.

Image source, Reuters

Let's recap what we know so far:

• German police say three people have been killed and four seriously injured in a knife attack in the western city of Solingen, which is about 15 miles (25km) east of Düsseldorf
• Police say the "unknown" attacker still at large and members of the public have been told to avoid the area
• Celebrations had been under way at the time to mark the anniversary of the city's founding
• Mayor of Solingen Tim Kurzbach spoke of his "shock, horror and great grief"

Björn Boch, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt has just spoken to the BBC. He suspects there are at least 6 people that are "seriously injured".

"At least three probably fighting for their lives, three others heavily injured. It’s a tragedy. It’s terrible”.

He describes the chaos that unfolded in front of the stages, where a live band had been playing to a few thousand people. "People were running away from the scene," he adds.

"Many were very calm so we didn’t have to panic but it was shocking and everybody who had to see that - I can’t imagine what that was like.”