A stabbing in the southern German city of Aschaffenburg has left two people dead on Wednesday, local police said.

A 41-year-old man and a two-year-old boy died in the attack. Two others were seriously injured.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz released a statement said the attack was "an unbelievable act of terror" and offered his sympathies to the victims' families and two more people injured.

The motive for the attack are still unclear, but police have launched an investigation.  

A 28-year-old suspect who police say is from Afghanistan has been taken into custody after the killing. Another person who witnessed the attack is also being held for questioning, but was not suspected of wrongdoing. 

What do we know about the attack?

The stabbing occurred shortly before noon at the Schöntal park near the city center. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said the suspect deliberately attacked a kindergarten group in the park with a kitchen knife.

A 41-year old German man, a passerby, and a two-year old boy of Moroccan descent were both killed, Herrmann added.

Bavarian Health Minister Judith Gerlach confirmed that three other people were wounded, including a 61-year-old man, a child and a teacher.

The perpetrator had attempted to run away from the crime scene across nearby railroad tracks, with German rail company Deutsche Bahn temporarily halting trains in the area.   

Herrmann said the suspect had entered Germany in 2022. His asylum clain was unsuccessful and was supposed to have left the country late last year.

The suspect had a history of violent behavior and was undergoing psychiatric treatment by the time his assylum case was denied.

"The authorities must explain as quickly as possible why the attacker was even still in Germany," Scholz said.

Attack comes as Germany on security alert ahead of elections

Aschaffenburg lies in the northern part of the German state of Bavaria, and is less than an hour's drive or train ride from Frankfurt.      

Germany is on high alert after a car ramming attack at a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg last month left 6 people dead and almost 300 people injured.

Security in Germany's public spaces is a major topic of debate ahead of the snap German election on February 23.  

wd/sms (AFP, Reuters, dpa)