
A Syrian refugee wielding a machete has killed a pregnant woman and injured a man and another woman in Germany before being arrested by police after he was run over by a man driving a BMW.

The attack happened in the south western city of Reutlingen near a doner kebab stand in a bus station at Listplatz Square in what has been described as a 'crime of passion'.

German media have been reporting that the motive for the attack in the city south of Stuttgart was unclear but the attacker and the 45-year-old Polish victim both worked at the same snack bar.

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Police arrest a man who is believed to have gone on a machete rampage killing a woman in the German city of Reutlingen

The man had his hands bound behind his back and was pinned down on the floor after being detained by officers following the attack

Pictures from the scene appear to show the knifeman lying on the ground with blood on his face and his weapon lying on the ground

The attack happened in the south western city of Reutlingen near a doner kebab stand in a bus station at Listplatz Square. German media have been reporting that the motive for the attack in the city south of Stuttgart was unclear

Police mark out the area where the attacker dropped the machete which he used to murder a pregnant woman and injure two others

Pictures from the scene appear to show the knifeman lying on the ground with blood on his face after being apprehended.

Armed police officers can be seen pinning him down to the ground before binding his hands behind his back.

Meanwhile, footage filmed by passers-by also showed the bearded attacker in the moments following the rampage running around in the street while people scream 'oh my god'.

He also banged on the windows of a Citroen car in which a 51-year-old woman suffered cuts to her arms and a 41-year-old man went into shock.

The attacker also injured a 23-year-old man by slashing his face.

It is believed a man passing the incident in a BMW car ran over the man, knocking him to the ground, before he was detained by police.

Emergency services raced to the scene following reports of the machete attack. The attacker has been named as a 21-year-old Syrian refugee

Blood can be seen spattered across the ground outside the snack bar where a man killed a pregnant woman with a machete and injured two other victims

Police were also seen searching a car, which is believed to have hit the attacker as he fled the scene of the killing in Reutlingen

Forensic investigators were seen working outside the restaurant where the attack took place and scouring the area for evidence

German media reported that the killing took place outside a restaurant where the woman worked as a cleaner. The driver, who was named as Alper K, 21, is thought to be the son of the restaurant owner.

Paramedics attempted to save the woman’s life after she sustained head injuries but she died and her corpse was covered with a white sheet.

One eyewitness told German newspaper Bild: 'The perpetrator was completely out of his mind. He ran with his machete even behind a patrol car.'

Police spokesman Bjoern Reusch said in a statement that witnesses said the 21-year-old man, who was known to police, was having an argument with the woman, who is believed to have been working at the kebab stand, before attacking her about 4:30 pm.

They also added that the incident 'did not bear the hallmarks of a terrorist attack.'

'According to the information available, the perpetrator acted alone, the people of Reutlingen and its surroundings are very probably not in danger,' the statement added.

In the moments after the machete attack, the man could be seen running around close to the scene before he was knocked over by a car

The attack happened in Reutlingen, south west Germany close to the major city of Stuttgart. The attack comes as Germany is on edge, following a rampage at a Munich mall on Friday night in which nine people were killed, and an axe attack on a train a week ago that left five wounded

The asylum-seeking Syrian man had been involved in previous incidents causing injuries to other people, police said.

The spokesman had no immediate information on when the man arrived in Germany, or when the previous incidents took place.

He was injured in the collision with the BMW and is currently in hospital, where he has not yet been questioned but is under guard by police.

The attack comes as Germany is on edge, following a rampage at a Munich mall on Friday night in which nine people were killed, and an axe attack on a train a week ago that left five wounded.