Following a knife attack in the western German city of Siegen, the state government’s interior minister is considering tougher security measures at events. This could lead to mandatory bag checks at major festivals.
“I am currently investigating whether it is legally possible to carry out bag checks at major festivals,” Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), said at a festival in the southern state city, Germany’s most populous.
Reul said he does not want bag checks at every location, summer fair or school festival, but that there could be “a middle ground” between general checks and targeted measures.
At least six people were injured, three seriously, in a stabbing on a bus in Siegen on Friday. The suspect, a 32-year-old German woman, has been arrested, police said.
In an update, Reul said that “one of the three seriously injured has been stabilized. One remains in serious condition, and the other has not yet recovered.”
The motive for the crime initially remained unclear. Police said there were no indications of a terrorist attack. The 32-year-old is known to police. According to sources at the dpa, there are indications of a mental disorder in the woman.
The city festival was not cancelled and continued on Saturday with a church service, which was also attended by the Minister of the Interior.
The attack in Siegen was almost a week after an attack in Solingen, in which three people were killed and eight were injured. A 26-year-old Syrian man is the main suspect in that attack. The terrorist organization Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the suspect for murder and suspected membership of the terrorist group.
Reul warned against comparing the events, saying: “What happened here in Siegen has nothing to do with what happened in Solingen.” Although knives were involved in both cases, there is a big difference between a terrorist and a German woman with mental health problems who randomly attacks people, he said.
“We live in a world that is unfortunately filled with these dangers on every street corner, and we as police have to respond in the most nuanced and intelligent way possible,” Reul said. He added that this is not an easy challenge. “There are no easy answers, and yet we all have to remain vigilant.”