A German magistrate has issued a detention order for a man suspected of stabbing a 4-year-old girl in a supermarket, police and the public prosecutor said on Friday.

The 34-year-old was ordered to be taken to a psychiatric hospital for attempted murder combined with dangerous bodily harm.

The man, who has Syrian and Dutch citizenship, is suspected of attacking the girl in the supermarket in the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg with a knife and seriously injuring her on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the police, it was an unexpected attack.

The child was immediately taken to a hospital and operated on. 

She is in a stable condition.

The background to the crime remains unclear. 

According to the police, the alleged perpetrator is a stranger to the girl and her mother.

A witness in the supermarket observed the attack and intervened. 

“He took the knife away from the man and then chased him,” police said.

The suspect left the shop after the offence. 

“The witness called the police and told us where the man was. That’s how my colleagues were able to arrest him,” added the police.

The suspected offender was arrested without resistance. 

(dpa/NAN)