At least three people died and several others were injured in a knife attack on Friday in Germany's southern city of Wurzburg, according to local police.

The incident took place on Barbarossaplatz square in the city center. The square and its surrounding areas have been sealed off.

The suspect stabbed people with a 40-centimeter-long knife and police used firearms and arrested him, local media Bayerischen Rundfunk reported.

Bavarian State Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann said the attack killed three, seriously injured five people.

The police have found records that the suspect was treated in a psychiatric institution and will later define whether the incident is a terror act or a move out of psychological reasons.

So far, there is no evidence showing the victims had any personal relations with the suspect, Herrmann said.