Hamburg knife attacker had 'radical Islamist background', say German prosecutors

German prosecutors said today the 26-year-old man who carried out a knife attack in a supermarket in Hamburg had "radical Islamist background".

One person was killed and at least four others were wounded as the failed asylum seeker shocked shoppers in a busy supermarket in Hamburg.

He filed for asylum in May 2015, and according to his birth certificate, was born in the United Arab Emirates, reports said. He was also psychologically unstable, authorities had said.

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"It appears that there is a radical Islamist background to the act," prosecutors said in a statement.

"Two days before he launched the attack, the suspect finally decided to adopt a corresponding lifestyle, on the day of the act, he resolved to commit an attack with the hope that he would die as a martyr," prosecutors added.

"He ripped off the packaging and then suddenly brutally attacked a 50-year-old man who later died," said deputy police chief Kathrin Hennings.

Witnesses had told AFP the man brandished the bloodied knife, shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest") as he fled the scene, but bystanders gave chase and flung chairs to stop him.

However, prosecutors have not found any evidence to link the attacker to the Islamic State.