German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said Thursday the government would toughen knife controls and limit the support given to some illegal migrants following a suspected Islamist stabbing.

Three people were killed and eight others injured at a festival in the western city of Solingen on Friday, in an attack allegedly carried out by a 26-year-old Syrian man with links to the Islamic State group.

The knife attack has inflamed the debate over immigration in Germany and put pressure on the government to act ahead of key regional elections on Sunday.

The stabbing has "shocked us deeply", Faeser said at a press conference on Thursday.

In response to the threat highlighted by the attack, the government is preparing "tough measures", Faeser said alongside Justice Minister Marco Buschmann.

Carrying knives at festivals, like the one in Solingen, as well as "sports events and other similar public events" will be banned, Faeser said.

There will be reasoned exceptions to the ban, including for those working in hospitality and performers, she added.

A ban will also be introduced on long-distance trains, the minister said, with police given more powers to search members of the public for knives.

Germany will also refuse benefits payments to migrants set to be deported to other countries in the European Union, Faeser announced.

The government will continue to work "intensively" to restart deportations to Afghanistan and Syria, which have been halted for years, she said.

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