Two held over German race attack

Ermyas M is a German citizen of Ethiopian origin

German police have detained two men in connection with a suspected racist attack which left an Ethiopia-born man seriously injured.

The men, aged 29 and 30, are being held on suspicion of racially-motivated attempted murder.

The 37-year-old victim, named as Ermyas M, suffered extensive skull and rib injuries in the attack in Potsdam, eastern Germany, early on Sunday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's office said the attack was "brutal and inhuman".

Condemnation

Prosecutors said there was "a great number of suspicious facts that suggest the perpetrators acted out of hatred of foreigners and on the basis of right-wing extremist attitudes".

The attack has prompted concern about neo-Nazi violence in Germany - especially as the country is hosting the football World Cup in June.

Chancellor Merkel said quick action would "make very clear that we condemn absolutely hatred of foreigners, far-right violence as well as any other violence".

Six foreigners - five of them Africans - have been killed in attacks by neo-Nazis in the formerly communist east since German reunification in 1990. Hostels for asylum seekers were targeted by neo-Nazis in 1991-92.