Motive 'relatively unclear' after German bank knife attack

Police in Germany are still investigating the motives behind a knife attack at a bank that left one person dead in the southern city of Regensburg.

A 20-year-old man is in pre-trial detention on suspicion of murder after the attack on Thursday. The suspect, who was detained inside the building where the attack occurred, was brought before a judge on Friday for an initial hearing.

According to investigators' initial findings, the bank employee killed in the knife attack in Regensburg was likely a random victim.

The motive of the alleged perpetrator remains "relatively unclear" so far, said Robert Fuchs of the Regensburg Criminal Investigation Department at a press conference on Friday.

The alleged attacker had a note with him in the bank which mentioned something about a raid and a bank robbery, said Fuchs.

He then held a kitchen knife aloft, walked past the counter towards the employee and stabbed the bank employee several times, after which the attacker retreated into other rooms, Fuchs said.

According to the police, the 20-year-old would not have been able to make off with any cash from the bank, as it is a cashless branch.

The suspect had repeatedly come to the attention of the police in recent years for minor offences and had also been reported missing on several occasions when he failed to return to a child and youth care facility on time.

Flowers and candles have been placed outside the local branch of HypoVereinsbank (HVB) following the fatal knife attack.

The two people rescued by police from the Regensburg bank branch are also employees of the company, a spokeswoman for the local police headquarters said.

Police initially feared that it was a hostage situation because other people were still in the building.

"We are deeply shocked by the loss of one of our colleagues as a result of this tragic incident," HVB said.