A man of 36 years was shot dead Wednesday in Stuttgart with a weapon described as a "sword or machete".
The man was attacked in a street late in the afternoon, police said. Witnesses called the police after the attack, which occurred during a brief scuffle.
The victim succumbed to his injuries despite efforts to save him. The tabloid newspaper Bild reported that the victim was a German Kazakh.
Police initially reported that the alleged perpetrator was a Syrian citizen who had lived in Germany since 2015. However, local media reported that there may be discrepancies in the fact that, according to Bild, there was doubt that the suspect could be a Palestinian who has assumed a false identity.
The killer fled the scene on a bicycle, but was subsequently arrested after a long search. Authorities were unable to confirm the details of the suspect's identity, but said he was a 28-year-old who knew the victim.
A police spokesperson described the act as "unusual and frightening". Witnesses filmed the attack. The stabbing took place in the Fasanenhof area of Stuttgart, a residential neighborhood in the south of the city.
It is said that some witnesses filmed the attack and uploaded the video on the web. The authorities are now investigating the use and reproduction of the videos, as this is prohibited by German law.
Stuttgart is the capital of the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg and is the sixth largest city in Germany. Several major German companies are based here, including the major car manufacturers. It is considered one of the safest cities in Germany.
