BERLIN

A manhunt was underway in Germany on Saturday after a man killed three people and injured eight others at a music festival in the western city of Solingen.

The assailant randomly attacked people with a knife during a live music show on Friday evening, police spokesman Alexander Kresta told reporters.

"We are currently assuming that it was one person," he said, adding that officers were interviewing witnesses, and gathering information to establish the identity of the suspect.

One woman and two men were killed in the attack, the police have confirmed on Saturday. Eight people were injured, and five of them were hospitalized with serious injuries.

The police have asked the public to be cautious in Solingen's city center because the assailant is still at large.

"People in the city center should be careful. Anyone who sees a suspicious person should immediately call 110,” a police spokesman told public broadcaster ARD.

Special police teams armed with heavy weapons are patrolling the streets, which are nearly empty following the attack.

Solingen authorities have canceled the three-day “Festival of Diversity,” which was expected to draw 80,000 people this weekend to mark the city’s 650th anniversary.