A Syrian man who was arrested after stabbing a tourist at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial had been harbouring a “plan to kill Jews”, German prosecutors said on Saturday.

The attacker, 19, was arrested on Friday evening with blood stains on his hands. He was carrying a copy of the Koran and a prayer mat.

Initial investigations suggested the attacker had “connections with the Middle East conflict”, prosecutors said.

The attacker approached a 30-year-old Spanish tourist from behind at around 6pm on Friday, stabbing him in the neck with a knife.

The assault took place at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a sombre grid of concrete steles located near the US embassy in Berlin.

The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and was placed in an induced coma. He is no longer in a critical condition.

Police believe the Syrian suspect came to Germany in 2023 as an unaccompanied minor before being granted asylum in the eastern city of Leipzig.

There was no evidence of links to other people or groups and the suspect had not previously come to the attention of Berlin police.