Man attacking cops with knife shot dead by police in Germany

A man who reportedly attacked three police officers with a knife near Nuremberg in Germany died after police shot him near a train station on Sunday, according to a police spokesman, reported dpa.

The 34-year-old Iranian citizen died at the scene of the shooting in the southern town of Lauf an der Pegnitz, despite immediate first aid measures being initiated, the spokesman said on Monday.

The man is said to have initially targeted a police patrol car, and then tried to attack the three officers while brandishing a knife when they got out of their vehicle, according to an initial police investigation.

A female federal police officer shot the man, according to authorities. The shooting took place at a bus stop outside of a commuter rail station in the town.

A police spokesman said the officers were uninjured and did not provide details on how many shots were fired.

Details about the motive and the exact sequence of events are still unclear, and authorities said a thorough investigation would be conducted.

"We are still at the very beginning of the investigation," said Heike Klotzbücher of the public prosecutor's office in the nearby city of Nuremberg.

Klotzbücher said he could not immediately say where the man lived and whether he had been in trouble with the police.

"We can't say any more about what happened either," she said.