ansbach explosion
© ReutersEmergency workers and vehicles are seen following an explosion in Ansbach, near Nuremberg July 25, 2016, in this still image taken from video.
Bavarian authorities have announced that the suspected suicide bomber, who was killed in the Ansbach explosion, had been a 27-year-old Syrian whose asylum request was rejected last year. The motive behind the attack, which injured 12 people, remains unknown.

The attacker was a 27-year-old Syrian who had entered the country about 2 years ago, but was refused asylum, Bavarian authorities told a press conference. His application was rejected a year ago but the man was allowed to stay in Germany temporarily, due to ongoing hostilities in Syria.

Police say they do not yet known if the attacker had any radical Islamist background. The investigations is currently focused on attacker's communications.

The suspect lived abroad in a hotel in Ansbach, the minister said. He had tried to commit suicide two times and was previously housed psychiatric hospital. In the coming days, the investigation will focus on establishing whether the man acted with suicidal intent, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told journalists.

So far, the investigation has found no evidence of an attempted political assassination or extremism, but such a possibility cannot be ruled out. The type of explosives detonated has not yet been established, but Hermann said that "metal parts" were apparently used in the improvised device.