BERLIN (AP) — Police say a local leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party has been attacked and wounded by several people in the northwestern city of Bremen.

Bremen police said they believe the attack on Frank Magnitz, a lawmaker in Germany's national parliament who leads the party's local branch, was politically motivated. They called for witnesses to the attack, which took place early Monday evening near a city theater, to come forward.

The party, known by its German acronym AfD, said early Tuesday that Magnitz was ambushed by three masked men, beaten unconscious with a piece of wood and then kicked in the head. He was hospitalized.

Bremen, Germany's smallest state, holds a regional election on May 26, the same day as European Parliament elections in which AfD hopes to make gains.