BERLIN (AP) — German police say a Syrian man's business was daubed with a Nazi swastika and set on fire in the eastern city of Magdeburg.

The attack took place in the early hours of Monday.

Police said in a statement that a witness reported seeing three men smash the glass front of a tanning studio, followed by an explosion and a fire. Officers found a freshly painted swastika and the word "Out" painted on a wall.

There has been a rise in attacks against foreigners in Germany in recent years, particularly targeting asylum-seekers.

More than 1.1 million people applied for asylum in German since the start of 2015. It wasn't immediately clear whether the business owner was an asylum-seeker.

Magdeburg Police said they were investigating the attack as suspected political extremism.