German police said Algerian suspect missing in Bremen, Germany, had made statements sympathising with a gunman who killed nine people in Munich, and with Islamic State, but they had no evidence he had any concrete plans or ties to the militant group.

The 19-year-old man made the comments while in police custody in the state of Lower Saxony this past weekend for several thefts, a spokesman said.

He was transferred to a psychiatric facility after he tried to hurt himself multiple times and authorities determined he had consumed drugs and posed a possible danger to himself and others, the spokesman said. The man fled that facility earlier Wednesday, yelling, "I'll blow you up."

Authorities evacuated a shopping centre in Bremen on Wednesday evening as police hunted for the suspect after people there called police to report what they described as suspicious behaviour. Earlier, a suitcase exploded near a reception centre for migrants in southern Germany, but authorities said the blast may have been caused by an aerosol can, and there was no sign of any explosives involved

Reuters