The motive remains unclear as German police investigate the fatal stabbing of 14-year-old E.S., a schoolgirl of Turkish background.
A 27-year-old asylum-seeker from Eritrea was arrested in connection with the attack on Monday in Illerkirchberg, in the southern region of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
The victim was revived at the scene but later died in hospital, police said. A 13-year-old girl was also hurt in the incident but did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Police apprehended the suspect at "nearby asylum seekers' accommodation," they said. The alleged aggressor was injured when he was stopped by police and was taken to receive medical treatment. He was currently being held in the hospital under guard. A judge will decide later on Tuesday whether the man will be "held in custody or taken into psychiatric care," the state prosecutor's office told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Turkish ambassador to Germany, Ahmet Başar Şen, visited the scene of the crime Tuesday with the deputy premier of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Thomas Strobl, and the mayor of Illerkirchberg. Şen also paid a visit to the family of E.S. to share his condolences.
The crime had deeply shaken the Turkish community, said Şen during a visit to the crime scene.
"Who did this? Will it be solved?" he asked, pledging his support to the investigation.
The Interior Ministry confirmed that the girl who died had German citizenship and a Turkish family background.
"I mourn the girl who was killed and sincerely hope that the injured girl will recover," Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser posted on Twitter Monday. "The police are urgently investigating the background" of the attack, she said.
