Major police incident after stabbing at Holocaust Memorial in Berlin

A man has been rushed to hospital with 'serious' injuries following a knife attack at a Holocaust memorial in Berlin. The attacked reportedly took place at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in the German capital's Mitte district.

Following the attack a cordon has been put in place around the area, which is close to the US embassy. A number of emergency vehicles are on site.

A press conference is due to be held following the attack, which saw one person injured and several others being treated for shock.

A suspect is believed to have fled the scene. Police have not confirmed any information about their identity at this stage.

Berlin Police said in a tweet: "At around 6pm, a man was seriously injured by an unknown person in the field of stelae at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Mitte. The injured man was taken to hospital.

"Rescue workers are on site caring for several people who had to witness the events. Investigations are ongoing at the crime scene. A press collection point will be set up on Behrenstrasse, near Cora-Berliner-Street."

According to Bild, police spokesman Florian Nath said the perpetrator fled the scene and is still at large.

He said: "The victim is a male, injuries from a stabbing weapon. He is in hospital. There is no information yet about the man's identity. The murder weapon has not yet been found. The perpetrator is on the run. Witnesses claim to have seen a man running away."

The attack reportedly happened at around 6pm "in the field of steles of the memorial".

It is the third attack since Christmas, and comes as Germany prepares to go into a general election.

The far-right AfD party is surging in the polls though the CDU, the party of former chancellor Angela Merkel, is predicted to be the largest party, while chancellor Olaf Scholz' SPD has seen its popularity fall.