A Syrian asylum seeker who had previously tried to commit suicide has been cited as the man who was killed in an 'intentional' bomb blast in the Bavarian town of Ansbach. Twelve people were injured in the explosion.

Police said in a statement early Monday morning that "a man, according to our current knowledge the perpetrator, died" in the blast outside a wine bar in the town where an open-air music festival was being held on Sunday night. Twelve people were injured, three of them seriously.

Ansbach Mayor Carda Seidel said the explosion was near an entrance to the festival. Around 2,500 people were attending the event, which was canceled after the blast was heard at about 10 p.m. local time (20:00 UTC).

People were evacuated from the area as the old city was cordoned off and rescue vehicles assembled. There were 200 police on duty and a further 350 members of rescue teams were brought in.

The man was believed to have been carrying a rucksack shortly before the explosion went off. A police spokeswoman said at a press conference that he is believed to have acted alone.

Bavaria's Interior Ministry has confirmed that the explosion appeared to have been intentional.

"At present we assume it was not an accident," a spokesman said on Sunday night. "We are assuming it was an intentional explosion."

The man, identified as a 27-year-old Syrian asylum seeker, had twice before tried to commit suicide. His application for asylum was rejected last year but he had been allowed to remain temporarily in Germany.

A spokesman for the Ansbach prosecutor's office said the attacker's motive wasn't clear.

"If there is an Islamist link or not is purely speculation at this point," said the spokesman, Michael Schrotberger.

Speaking at a press conference, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said it was "outrageous" that someone would abuse the asylum system and that everything would be done to prevent this kind of behavior.

Herrmann said it was unclear if the man had planned to commit suicide or "take others with him into death."

State police in Bavaria called on witnesses who had taken videos or images of the scene to send them by email to help with the investigation.

Blast follows Munich attack

The blast in Ansbach was Germany's fourth violent incident in a week. It occurred just after Friday night's gun attack in Munich which left nine people dead.

There were services held throughout Germany on Sunday in memory of the victims.

Also Sunday, a 21-year-old male refugee from Syria known to authorities for previous acts of violence killed one woman and injured two more people in the city of Reutlingen in southwest Germany.

Last Monday, a man armed with an ax attacked travelers on a train near Würzburg. Five people were injured in that attack.

(DW)