Gelsenkirchen knifeman killed by German police 'mentally ill' Published duration 6 January

image copyright EPA image caption The attack happened outside a police station in Gelsenkirchen

German police have shot dead a man who tried to attack officers with a knife in the western city of Gelsenkirchen.

Police say a search of the man's flat later did not suggest a terrorist motive. The 37-year-old Turkish citizen is thought to have been mentally ill.

He struck a police car with a stick and attempted to assault two officers standing by the vehicle, police said.

He was also wielding a knife and was shot four times after refusing to heed a shouted warning, police said.

Police are examining electronic data seized in their search of the man's flat and checking reports that he shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) during the attack.

Police say the man was known for previous acts of violence. He had been living in Germany since 2002.

"We are now working on the basis that this was the lone act of a mentally ill man," North-Rhine Westphalia interior minister Herbert Reul said.

Germany revised its terror threat level on Friday, citing possible attacks after the US killed an Iranian general. Deutsche Welle reports.

The incident came hours after police in the eastern French city of Metz shot and wounded a man who had rushed towards them.

The local prosecutor's office said the man was on a list of people monitored for links to militant groups.