Police confirmed on Sunday that they had taken a 38-year-old German man into custody on Saturday afternoon.

The suspect had been discovered by a police patrol and was in possession of a knife. Investigators found DNA traces on the weapon and the victims' clothing, reported the Berliner Morgenpost.

The police believe the alleged perpetrator acted alone. German media have been reporting that the suspect has remained silent over the allegations.

The suspect had no permanent residence but was last registered in Berlin. According to Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, he was born in Thuringia.

The man has already been convicted of 18 other crimes. A spokesperson for the police said they had ruled out a terrorist motive for the crime. In addition, the investigation has established that the alleged perpetrator and the victims did not know each other. The motive remains unclear.

As The Local reported, on Thursday three women were stabbed in separate attacks in the St. Johannis district of the city, generating a man hunt involving around 300 police officers.

The attacks happened within a few hours of each other. Around 7:20 p.m. a 56-year-old woman was stabbed in the upper body area and was taken to hospital.

Later, around 10:45 p.m, a 26-year-old woman, who was making her way home at the time, was also attacked with a knife just a few streets away.

Shortly afterwards, a 34-year-old woman was then also stabbed. The latter two women suffered life-threatening injuries, police said. All three underwent emergency surgery.

Police posted on Twitter when they had made the arrest on Saturday and held a press conference on Sunday.

At the press conference, Interior Minister Herrmann, of the Christian Socialists (CSU), praised the police for their quick action and for their increased patrols. “It was important to strengthen the visible police presence in the city,” Herrmann said in Nuremberg.

“One could feel how many people were afraid that the perpetrator was still walking around freely,” he added. “The identification of the alleged perpetrator was very important in order to take away the fear of further attacks from the people of the city.”