Solingen, Germany – A 26-year-old Syrian man, is currently in police custody, with authorities investigating his possible ties to the Islamic State (ISIS) in the tragic stabbing attack on Friday evening during a festival in Solingen has left three people dead and eight others injured.

The suspect, who had been living in a refugee home in Solingen, turned himself in late on Saturday and confessed to the crime, according to a joint statement from Düsseldorf police and prosecutors.

"The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation," the statement read.

The incident has reignited debates about national security, immigration policies, and the threat of terrorism in Germany. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition CDU party, called for stricter immigration controls, particularly for refugees from Syria and Afghanistan.

"It's enough!" Merz declared in a letter posted on his website, urging the government to halt the admission of further refugees from these countries.

North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister, Herbert Reul, confirmed that the suspect’s residence at a local refugee home had been searched on Saturday. The suspect reportedly moved to Germany in late 2022 and sought asylum, according to Der Spiegel magazine, citing unnamed security sources.

German federal prosecutors have taken over the case to determine whether the suspect was affiliated with ISIS. The militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, describing the perpetrator as a "soldier of the Islamic State" in a statement on its Telegram account. However, the group provided no evidence to support this claim, and the suspect's possible membership in ISIS is still under investigation.

Hendrik Wüst, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, labeled the incident as an act of terror, reflecting the gravity of the situation.

This attack adds to the list of Islamist-motivated incidents in Germany, which has seen around a dozen such attacks since 2000. One of the most devastating occurred in 2016 when a Tunisian national drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more.

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has warned that the risk of jihadist-motivated violence remains high, stating that Germany continues to be a direct target of terrorist organizations.