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A German mayor has been 'attacked with a knife in a kebab shop in an attempted assassination', according to reports.

Detailed information on the incident is unclear but the mayor of the city of Altena, Andreas Hollstein, was reportedly targeted over his 'very liberal views on refugees'.

Police investigators are working on the basis that the attack was politically motivated, Bild reports.

The German newspaper says the incident is being treated as an "assassination attempt".

The extent of Hollstein's injuries are unknown, but it is believed he is not in a life-threatening condition.

It is not clear why he was in the kebab shop at the time - in the city which is located in the North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populated state in Germany.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: www.alamy.com)

Altena is very picturesque - but locals have concerns about immigration.

Bild reports: "The mayor of the Sauerland community is regarded as an advocate of a very liberal refugee policy.

"The investigators assume that the attack was politically motivated.

"The Hagen prosecutor Bernd Maas confirmed to Bild only the attack - without going into detail."