A former counter-terrorism security chief has warned that the problem of knife crime is spreading “all over Europe” following the mass stabbings in Germany.
An unidentified suspect stabbed passers-by attending a “diversity festival” in Solingen, leaving three people dead and four “seriously injured.”
Nine people were stabbed in the attack and police are still searching for the knife attacker.
Chris Phillips, a former director of the National Counter Terrorism Security Agency, warned GB News that these types of attacks would be “very difficult to stop”.
Mr Phillips warned that there was a problem with knife crime “all across Europe” following the recent incidents in Germany.
GBNews/Reuters
“This is another incident or terror attack at a festival, and there have been many similar incidents in the last few months alone. The Taylor Swift concert in Vienna was cancelled due to a terror threat,” Phillips explained.
“So once again, festivals are being targeted.”
Noting that the German attack took place in the city centre, Phillips told GB News that tracking down the perpetrators would “pose all sorts of business challenges for the festival”.
“The key thing here is this isn't a stadium, this is a festival in the city centre, and of course that poses various challenges for people trying to catch the perpetrators,” Mr Phillips said.
Three people were killed and four seriously injured in a stabbing attack carried out by an unknown suspect.
Reuters
Phillips noted that the threat of terrorism has increased across Europe in recent years, and while the motive for the attack has not been confirmed, he stressed that terrorism will be a major issue for “generations to come”.
Latest developments:
“The problem of terrorism is here to stay across Europe and will continue for a generation, there's no doubt about that,” Phillips said.
“There are parts of society in Germany, France, Austria and the UK that think terrorism is the answer.”
Phillips also questioned the level of security at the festival, adding: “The key question is whether the security team actually did their job properly. The fact that this man got away makes me wonder if they were adequately prepared for this kind of incident.”
“But as I say, when something like this happens, it's always very difficult to find that one person in a population of 50,000 or 60,000 people.”
Chris Phillips warned that stopping the problem would be “very difficult”.
GB News
GB News presenter Ben Leo shared his thoughts on the tragic incident, admitting that the rise in random knife attacks feels like a “hopeless” situation.
Mr Phillips responded: “These attacks are desperate situations because they involve one person with a knife deciding to go out and kill someone. It's another horrifying side of society.”
“From a terrorism perspective, I think there is a problem across Europe. I don't think it's just a UK problem. We're focusing on the UK, but the fact is that France has had many more terror attacks in the last five years than the UK.”
Mr Phillips added: “This is a situation we have to deal with. I don't know what the answer is for these lone-actor attacks, because an individual can pick up a knife and carry out an attack.”
