German police probe Islamist motive in weekend knife attack

German prosecutors investigating a weekend knife attack on a truck driver said on Wednesday that they were looking into a possible Islamist motive.

The decision was based on a call of "Allahu Akbar" apparently made by the suspect and heard by two of the witnesses interviewed, they told dpa. They also revealed that the suspect was a German of foreign origin.

Prosecutors in the state of Brandenburg are investigating the attack, which took place at a motorway service area in Hennigsdorf on the western outskirts of Berlin on Saturday evening.

In the attack, a 57-year-old trucker suffered life-threatening injuries when he was attacked by a man with a knife. A 40-year-old suspect was subsequently arrested after fleeing the scene on foot.

The trucker was admitted to hospital and the motorway was closed for several hours.

The suspect was brought before a court on Sunday and is being held in custody. The trucker has since been released from hospital.

Five members of the youth wing of Germany's conservative CDU/CSU party were at the service station at the time of the attack.

They issued a statement to the effect that the attacker had called out "Allahu Akbar" and criticized the fact that initial reports had made no reference to the call.