Police in Bremen in northern Germany have called for potential witnesses to come forward after vigilantes beat up a 50-year-old man in his home after seeing a TV report on pedophiles.

Police said an group of people entered the man's home in the northern district of Lesum and beat him so badly he had to be hospitalized. He was in critical condition but is now recovering.

Police did not identify the suspects, but said investigations into possible criminal charges had been launched.

On the day, the perpetrators had watched a TV program about alleged pedophiles around midday, in which "a man whose behavior was described as suspicious by the reporters who filmed him" was shown.

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The group of people claim to have recognized the person's address in the report and set off to seek him out in his flat in Lesum.

Police warn of vigilantism

Police have said that there is no evidence or suspicion at present of any pedophilic activity in the house the victim was attacked in.

An investigation into attempted murder is underway. In a news release, police warned of vigilantism and stressed that "no form of and no reason for vigilantism can be tolerated." They added that it was "the prosecutors' and the police's job to prosecute offenses."