Several people were killed and others injured in a stabbing attack in the southern German city ​​of Wuerzburg on Friday, authorities said.

They added that the attacker was arrested after a police officer shot him with his gun. It was not clear at the moment how many people died and how many were injured.

Police spokeswoman Kerstin Kunick said police were alerted at 5 pm to a knife attack in Plaza Barbarrosa in the center of the city. Police said on Twitter that there is no longer any danger to the population.

Authorities declined to provide further information and asked people to refrain from guessing on social media.

Wuerzburg is a city of about 130,000 inhabitants in Bavaria, between the cities of Munich and Frankfurt.