German police kill Islamic extremist after knife attack

German police shoot and kill a known Islamic extremist after he threatens passers-by and attacks an officer with a knife on the streets of Berlin, officials say Thursday.

Officers are called to Spandau, in western Berlin, after reports that a man is waving a knife about on the street. The 41-year-old man seriously injures a female officer before another officer shoots and kills him.

Security officials confirm to The Associated Press that the attacker was Rafik Mohamad Yousef, convicted seven years ago of belonging to an al-Qaeda-linked terror group.

Frank Henkel, the interior minister for the state of Berlin, said the reasons for the attack were still unclear. “There are indications that this wasn’t a planned act,” Henkel said in a statement, but added that due to the man’s history “a religious motif can’t be excluded.”

Police spokesman Stefan Redlich says the injured officer is in a stable condition in intensive care.

— AP