Authorities in Berlin have detained a teenage Syrian refugee after a man was stabbed near the city’s Holocaust Memorial late Friday – as divisive rhetoric swells over Germany’s immigration policy, ahead of a consequential national election.

The attack took place two days before snap parliamentary elections in Germany in which migration has become a top issue, pushed to the forefront by five deadly attacks involving immigrants over the past nine months.

A Syrian refugee is suspected in a stabbing at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, injuring a Spanish tourist. The suspect, arrested with evidence in Leipzig, is linked to intended anti-Semitic motives. Investigation probes possible mental illness and examines the attack's connection to Middle East conflicts amidst German election discourse on migration.