Around 30 Germans attacked a group of foreigners at an outdoor tram station late Friday in the northern German town of Schwerin, where repeated confrontations between migrants and locals have led authorities to heighten security.

The ten people who were attacked on central Schwerin's Marienplatz square had migrant backgrounds, police said Saturday, adding that security forces on site were able to immediately break up the violence.

Police detained 40 people in connection with the clashes, which left one young man slightly injured.

Violent confrontations in central Schwerin have led police to increase their presence in recent weeks.

Police said Marienplatz square is a common meeting spot for groups of 20 to 30 immigrants, many of them unaccompanied minors who are seeking asylum in Germany, as well as by groups of local residents.

On Tuesday, two Syrian men reportedly attacked another group of migrants and a local resident on Marienplatz and threatened them with a knife. The men fled before being apprehended by police.