Germany investigating possible religious motive behind attack on policeman

BERLIN (Reuters) - A 15-year old girl held over the stabbing of a policeman in Hanover last week may have been driven by political or religious motives, prosecutors said on Thursday, possibly inspired by Islamic State, a magazine added. Germany's Focus magazine, citing sources involved in the investigation, said prosecutors were looking at a possible connection to the militant group that has grabbed large parts of Iraq and neighboring Syria. "Today we set up an investigation group with the police which is mainly following up a suspicion that this could be an act with a political or religious background," prosecutor Thomas Klinge told Reuters. The attack, which injured the policeman in the neck, took place on Friday. Focus said the officer's life was not in danger and, citing sources involved in the investigation, said police suspected the attack had "an IS background". It reported that the girl had a German passport and a Moroccan background. Prosecutors said the girl, who has not been identified, had been on a trip abroad but it was unclear whether it was to areas around the Turkish-Syrian border, as suggested in the Focus report. "That is speculation," said Klinge. Germany and other Western nations have become increasingly worried about the risk of young people becoming radicalized by militants in North Africa and the Middle East and returning home to launch attacks. (Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Gareth Jones and Andrew Heavens)