Police in Germany have shot dead an Islamic extremist in Berlin.

German prosecutors say the known fanatic was killed after he attack a police officer with a knife.

The 41-year-old Iraqi immigrant - believed to be a member of a terrorist organisation - is believed to be a member of the local Islamist community.

Police were called Thursday after reports that a man was waving a knife about on a street in Spandau, Berlin.

The man seriously injured a female officer before shooting and killing him,www.vosizneias.com reports.

German news agency dpa reported that the unnamed man was handed a prison sentence by a court in Stuttgart in 2008 for membership of a terrorist organization.

The man was free on bail but ordered to wear an electronic tag, which he removed before the attack.