A man died following a knife attack at a bank in the German city of Regensburg, a police spokeswoman told dpa on Thursday, adding that the suspected attacker remains inside the building with other people.

Special forces have arrived at the scene and the area around the branch has been cordoned off.

Initial reports suggested the perpetrator was holding people hostage inside the bank branch, but this later became unclear. The spokeswoman said an investigation was under way into homicide and robbery.

The victim had received first aid from paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital, police said, before announcing that he had died.

“The suspect is a man. We currently assume he acted alone,” the police spokeswoman said. The exact number of people inside the bank branch remained unclear.