One person has died and four others were injured after an African man detonated an explosive device outside a restaurant in the German city of Solingen on Tuesday.
The incident occurred shortly after 2 p.m. outside residential and commercial premises on Konrad-Adenauer-Straße in the North Rhine-Westphalia city.
German news outlet Junge Freiheit reported the targeted restaurant was an independent chain owned by a large Arab family and the perpetrator was of African origin.
It is understood the attacker approached the restaurant equipped with explosives but detonated the device too early, seriously injuring himself and other bystanders.
“He took something out of the front of his pants. That looked like an explosive device. Then he probably accidentally spilled a liquid, then there was a big bang and the man burned. Witnesses then extinguished it and administered first aid,” one eyewitness told German tabloid newspaper Bild.
According to a press release by Wuppertal Police late on Tuesday, the attacker “suffered serious injuries and had to be taken to a special clinic in a rescue helicopter where he died a few hours later.”
Images of the attacker shortly after the blast went viral on social media.
The authorities also confirmed that a 7-year-old girl and three males aged 35, 38, and 45, were hospitalized after being injured by shrapnel from the blast.
The State Criminal Police Office has commenced its investigation into the attack, supported by specialists.
A motive for the attack remains unclear with German media speculating whether there was a potential link to organized crime or a personal vendetta against the Arab owners. According to WDR, there was a raid on the property two years ago in relation to a gang crime investigation.
