3nd LD Writethru: Terrorism link to Ansbach explosion cannot be ruled out: German minister

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Monday a terrorism link to a suicide attack in southern Germany on Sunday night could not be ruled out.

De Maiziere told a press conference in Berlin that the investigation on the attack outside a music festival in Ansbach, a city in southern German state of Bavaria, was still in an early stage.

"It cannot be ruled out that it had a connection with international terrorism," he said. The attacker, a 27-year-old Syrian denied asylum in Germany, might also have mental disorder. It could be "a combination of both," De Maiziere added.

Fifteen people were injured in the suicide explosion, according to the latest information provided by police. Four remain in serious condition.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told a separate press conference in Nuremberg on Monday that a video was found in the attacker's mobile phone. In the video, the attacker referred to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, spoke of "revenge" against Germany.

According to De Maiziere, the Syrian arrived in Germany two years ago and applied for asylum protection in August 2014. His application was rejected by Germany in December 2014, as officials found records of similar asylum applications in Bulgaria and Austria.

Germany tried to deport him to Bulgaria where his asylum application had been approved, said De Maiziere. However, the man managed to stay in Germany because he had medical certificates proving mental instability.

The attacker had tried to commit suicide twice, according to De Maiziere, and received temporary treatment in a psychiatric hospital. Enditem