A man with a knife has lightly wounded four people in Munich and officers are looking for the assailant, police said on Saturday.

Munich police called on people in the Rosenheimer Platz area, located close to the German city's downtown, to stay inside after the incident on Saturday morning.

The perpetrator fled the scene. Police said he appeared to be about 40 years old and had a black bicycle, gray trousers, a green jacket and a backpack.

The police department said on Twitter that officers are looking for the assailant “with all available police forces”. It said the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.