A 29-year-old man has used a crossbow to shoot at passersby near the train station in the northern German town of Peine.
The arrows hit a 22-year-old man, who was taken to the hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, police said on Saturday.
The suspected shooter was taken into custody. He also had a large knife with him, according to police.
Authorities said he had a history of mental illness but were also investigating possible ties to far-right extremism due to the suspect’s clothing and overall appearance.
Peine is located about 40 kilometres east of the city of Hanover in the state of Lower Saxony.
“Now it’s time to investigate in all directions and to clarify the background of this cowardly act,” Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Daniela Behrens said in a statement. She said police were investigating whether racism or xenophobia was a motive in the shooting.
The minister credited the swift response of police officers for preventing further victims in the attack. She said police managed to overpower the attacker just a few minutes after receiving the first emergency call.
Local police as well as federal officers assigned to the train station both responded.
“We were able to react quickly,” said a police spokesman.
Rail traffic was temporarily suspended.