The murder occurred when an altercation broke out between several people at a funfair in the small town of Wittlich.

“Following the murder of a 28-year-old man, two suspects were arrested … They are American servicemen,” police in the western city of Treves said in a statement on Sunday.

The death occurred when an altercation broke out between several people at a Saubrenner funfair in the small town of Wittlich, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate between Treves and Koblenz, on Saturday night.

During the fight, the victim “was stabbed to death” and “four people, two men and two women, ran away from the scene of the crime”, police said, citing witnesses.

Two members of the fleeing group, aged 25 and 26, were quickly identified whom police arrested before handing over to US authorities, who will take charge of the case “in accordance with NATO statutes”, the police added.

“We’ve never experienced anything like this here,” said Wittlich Mayor Joachim Rodenkirch when asked by the local press.

Colonel Kevin Crofton of the US Airbase Spangdahlem spoke of an “intolerable and avoidable tragedy in our peaceful community”, according to the SWR, a local media outlet. He thanked the local police and the town of Wittlich for their “partnership and patience while the investigation unfolds”, the SWR reported.

The United States has had troops stationed in Germany since World War II, but their numbers have declined since the fall of the Berlin Wall from about 200,000 soldiers in 1990 to 34,500 today.