Investigators say the suspect in a stabbing attack at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial that left a Spanish tourist seriously injured is a Syrian refugee who apparently wanted to kill Jews.

A 19-year-old Syrian man suspected of stabbing a Spanish tourist at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial had planned for several weeks to kill Jewish people, Berlin police believe. The attack took place on Friday evening, with the assailant approaching the 30-year-old victim from behind before stabbing him and fleeing the scene.

The suspect, a Syrian refugee, told the police that a plan had come into his mind to kill Jews. The attack raises tensions just before an election in which immigration is a big issue.