HELSINKI/BERLIN: In two separate incidents of stabbings on Friday, two people were killed and six injured in the Finnish city of Turku, while another man was hacked to death in the western German city of Wuppertal.
The Finnish Police shot one suspect in the legs and arrested him. Security forces wrote on Twitter that police were "looking for other possible perpetrators".
Police confirmed that one man was stabbed to death and another injured in Wuppertal, adding that the attacker was still on the loose.
Police in Germany said they were hunting for one or more assailants, but could not immediately provide more information about the circumstances of the attack.
The stabbing happened at around 1245 GMT in the city's Elberfeld area.
The stabbing spree comes with Europe on high alert a day after drivers slammed into pedestrians in twin attacks in Spain, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 100 others. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack.
"The government is following the situation in Turku closely and a police operation is under way," tweeted Prime Minister Juha Sippila ahead of a cabinet meeting. In 2012, Finland's then-prime minister Jyrki Katainen escaped a knife attack in Turku while campaigning for municipal poll. The man who approached him carrying a knife was found to be psychologically disturbed and no charges were brought against him.