Two improvised bombs exploded in the eastern German city of Dresden on Monday evening (September 26) - one at a mosque and one at an international conference centre - but no one was injured, police said on Tuesday (September 27).
Demirbas Mehmet, founder of the Dresden mosque of the Turkish Islamic Community that was targeted said neighbours had described a young man around 18 years of age, wearing a black helmet putting a petrol bomb on the doorstep and then leaving in a waiting car.
Police who have not yet had any claims of responsibility said they were presuming the motives were xenophobic.
"This can happen everywhere. We have been expecting something like this for a long time. A few glass panes have been broken in the past, or graffiti on the wall. But this is the first time something like this happens. Hopefully it will be the last time and we carry on happily living in Dresden. It can happen in Istanbul, in Paris, in Berlin. It can also happen in Dresden. We have to stay alert and keep our eyes open and stop someone trying this in future," Demirbas Mehmet told Reuters from outside the mosque.
Police are also looking into the possibility there was a link to celebrations planned for the coming weekend in the city to mark the anniversary of German reunification on October 3, 1990.
"Of course these two events will lead us to look even more rigorously at the security situation. But i caution against hysteria. Quite the opposite, the Saxony police and other police units who are helping with this event will make sure that the celebrations are able to be celebrated," Leipzig CHief of Police, Bernd Merbitz said.
At the time of the first explosion, the imam of the mosque was inside with his wife and sons but they were not hurt. Damage was, however, done to the building through pressure waves.
Soon after, the International Congress Centre was damaged by a home-made device and the bar of a nearby hotel was evacuated.
During the night, police officers were sent to protect other mosques in the city.
Dresden was the cradle of the anti-Islam PEGIDA grassroots movement whose weekly rallies attracted around 20,000 supporters at the height of its popularity at the start of 2015.
The influx of about 1 million migrants to Germany last year has increased social tensions, especially in eastern Germany where there have been some high-profile attacks on refugee shelters.
