German police said on Saturday they were still searching for an unidentified attacker hours after he killed three people and injured others in a knife attack at a festival in the western city of Solingen.

Eight people were injured, five of them seriously, police said early Saturday. Police had previously reported four seriously injured people.

“Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned. The police are currently conducting a major search for the perpetrator,” the police statement said.

The incident occurred at around 9.40pm (7.40pm Irish time) on Friday when the man attacked several people with a knife, police said.

The perpetrator had deliberately aimed for his victims’ throats, the police said. No further details or a motive could be given.

Fatal knife and gunshot wounds are relatively rare in Germany. The government wants to tighten the regulations for carrying knives in public and reduce the maximum permitted length.

In June, a 29-year-old police officer died after being stabbed in Mannheim during an attack on a right-wing extremist demonstration. Several people were injured in a knife attack on a train in 2021.

Friday’s attack took place at a celebration marking the 650th anniversary of Solingen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, which borders the Netherlands.

Authorities have cancelled the rest of the event over the weekend.

The country’s interior minister, Herbert Reul, visited the crime scene early Saturday and told reporters that it was a targeted attack on human life, but did not want to speculate about the motive.

The attack took place at the Fronhof, a market square where live bands were playing. – Reuters