Police in Israel are investigating the stabbing of three Eritreans in south Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning.

A man, said to be "mentally disturbed" and undergoing psychiatric treatment, has been arrested over the attack , which took place in an internet cafe.

Two of the three victims, all of whom are asylum seekers, were wounded by the man.

The owner of the café, who tried to stop the man from hurting anyone else, told the Jerusalem Post that the attack was unprecedented.

"We've never had any problems," said Isaias Tesfamariam.

The stabbing comes after several months of tension between Israelis and the 60,000 asylum seekers who have flocked to Israel, many of them escaping from Eritrea and Sudan. There have been arson attacks on buildings occupied by African residents and reports of both physical and verbal abuse.

The man will be brought before a hearing at Tel Aviv magistrates' court tomorrow.