The suspect in Friday’s stabbing at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin is a 19-year-old Syrian refugee, authorities said on Saturday.

A 30-year-old Spanish tourist was seriously injured in the incident on Friday evening.

The Berlin public prosecutor’s office confirmed a report from the Bild tabloid that the Syrian suspect is living in refugee accommodation in the eastern city of Leipzig.

Investigations at the centre have reportedly already taken place.

The man was arrested three hours after the attack following a large-scale search and is due to be brought before a magistrate on Saturday.

The motive for the attack remains unclear.

The incident came just two days before Germany heads to the polls after an election campaign dominated by a series of attacks attributed to foreign nationals.