In Stuttgart, Germany a Tamil man has entered a church yielding a samurai sword attacking worshippers, killing and maiming some of the congregation. Police in the southwest of the German city said that there was a "bloodbath" as the man killed one woman and seriously injured three others at a Sunday evangelical Protestant church gathering.

Michael Kuhner, the deputy chief of police in Stuttgart reported, "The 25-year-old perpetrator wrought a bloodbath in the church. He thrust about himself with a Samurai sword and struck out at random at the people in his way."

In the aftermath of the attacks it soon became clear that a 43-year old woman had been killed in the vicious assault – although at first the body was so badly disfigured in the slaying that the deceased was originally identified as a man.

In addition a man and woman were seriously wounded in the attack and another man lost his hand. All the victims of the incident were also Tamil.

A police arrived at the scene the swordsman also showed himself to be armed with a pistol, and he refused to put down the sword even when confronted by the officers. Eventually the attacker was apprehended by the police with pepper-spray.

The man, who was from Stuttgart, had previously shown aggressive behaviour towards others in the church, and police have reported that the attacks seemed to have occurred due to personal problems that he has had, and no political motives were found.

The congregation in the Protestant church stood at approximately 65 – mostly of Tamil Sri Lankan origin – and were attending an afternoon service when the enraged man burst into the church.

A witness reported that people were seen fleeing from the church covered in blood, and the area in front of the church soon became a scene of chaos and despair. Police said that some members of the church had fought off the attacker as he came close with the church chairs.