A 58-year-old man tried to kill himself on Christmas Eve by ramming a car packed with explosive materials into a German political party headquarters.

The man drove a car at the entrance of the Berlin headquarters of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) late on Sunday evening, lightly injuring himself in what police said was an apparent suicide attempt.

He had gas cartridges in the car and jerrycans containing petrol.

The man had also laid out a bag with inflammable material in front of another building - the headquarters of the CDU party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Police officers inspect damage in the lobby of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) headquarters after a car was used to ram the building on Christmas Eve

The man drove a car at the entrance of the Berlin headquarters of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) late on Sunday evening, lightly injuring himself in what police said was an apparent suicide attempt

A 58-year-old man tried to kill himself on Christmas Eve by ramming a car packed with explosive materials into a German political party headquarters

The man was injured in the failed attempt and taken to hospital.

The police were alerted by the building's caretaker, who found the bag.

Berlin police are investigating the incident and authorities did not identify the man, saying only that he was 58 years old.

It was unclear why he had chosen the SPD, which is about to start negotiations on governing for another four years in coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, as his target.