Bullet holes have been discovered at the office of high-profile Bundestag politician.
ADVERTISEMENTGermany's foreign minister has slammed the "disgusting and cowardly" attack on the office of a Senegal-born German MP.
Police have launched a criminal probe after "bullet holes" in the window of the property in Halle, 150 kilometres south-west of Berlin.
The office is used by Karamba Diaby, from the Social Democratic Party, but was reportedly empty at the time of the incident.
Dr Diaby posted an image of three bullet holes on social media.
Police in Halle confirmed that a criminal probe had been launched and that a forensic technician had secured evidence at the scene.
Officers were deployed in the Kleine Ul-richstraße on Wednesday morning after reports that "unknown persons fired at several buildings", including the office of a Bundestag politician.
They confirmed that "several bullet holes" were found in the window of an office but that "no bullets were found".
"We cannot say at this time what caused the damage", the statement continued.
'Disgusting and cowardly'
The incident has been widely condemned by both German and European politicians on social media.
German Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Mass tweeted that the damage was "disgusting and cowardly" and offered his "full support" to Diaby's team.
"We will continue to work alongside you for a free, tolerant, and diverse democracy," he said.
Austrian politician Mireille Ngosso said she was "more than speechless" and offered her full support to Diaby.
"You are a great role model for me. I hope that everything will be cleared up and there will be consequences," she said on Facebook.
German S&D MEP Katarina Barley added that Diaby was a "textbook democrat" and "wonderful, lovable person".
The Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt also condemned "all forms of violence and attacks on elected officials".
"Saxony-Anhalt is and remains a cosmopolitan country where there is no place for intimidation, violence and agitation".
The rise of hate crime in Germany
Although police have not confirmed that the damage is being treated as a hate crime, the incident took place just three months after two people were killed in an "anti-semitic attack" in Halle.
ADVERTISEMENTGermany has seen a rise in hate crime, which has occasionally been targeted at local politicians and some members of the Bundestag.
The office of Karamba Diaby, the first black African man to be elected to the Bundestag, has previously been the victim of death threats and harassment.
Following the shooting in Halle in October, Germany announced it would be introducing new measures against right-wing extremism and hate crime, including the restrictions on the sale of firearms.
But the announcement was met with criticism, and Diaby himself said that Germany "cannot only strengthen constitutional protection, police and prosecution".
"We need to strengthen society", he tweeted.
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