A 15-year-old Ukrainian boy has sustained serious injuries in a xenophobic attack in the town of Mettman, not far from Dusseldorf.

According to DPA, the Ukrainian boy was in a diner on the night of Saturday, 10 February, when a stranger addressed xenophobic remarks to him.

The stranger then suddenly hit the boy on the head with an unidentified object before fleeing the scene.

At the hospital it was discovered that the boy’s injuries were a lot more serious than initially thought, though there was no threat to his life.

Witnesses described the attacker as a strong and sturdy man, approximately 1.92 metres (6'3") tall.

Dusseldorf State Security Service has launched an investigation into the attack.

The incident happened at around the same time that 17-year-old Ukrainian basketball player Volodymyr Yermakov and another Ukrainian citizen were attacked in Oberhausen, which is also not far from Dusseldorf. Yermakov died as a result of the attack. The police said there was no evidence that the crime was motivated by xenophobia.

The Basketball Federation of Ukraine reported the death of 17-year-old Ukrainian basketball player Volodymyr Yermakov in Germany.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later reported that the German police had detained the murderer.