German police say they have captured a suspect believed to be planning a bomb attack, BBC reports. 

"Tired but overjoyed: we captured the terror suspect last night in Leipzig," the police said in a tweet.

The police had been looking for the suspect, Syrian refugee Jaber al-Bakr, after raiding a flat in the nearby city of Chemnitz on Saturday.

Several hundred grams of "highly volatile" explosives were found at the property, investigators said.

About 100 people were evacuated from the block of flats as the explosives were moved for a controlled detonation.

The explosives are allegedly similar to the ones used in the Paris and Brussels attacks. Media reports indicate Mr al-Bakr may have been planning to target an airport in Berlin.

Two people in contact with Mr al-Bakr were then detained at Chemnitz railway station and another person was held near the flat in the Fritz-Heckert neighbourhood.

Saxony police released pictures of Damascus-born Mr al-Bakr wearing a hooded sweatshirt, but have not commented on his motive.

BBC News Berlin correspondent Jenny Hill says the incident will put pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to reassure a nervous German electorate that her refugee policy has not endangered the country.