A hostage drama at a petrol station in Germany has ended without bloodshed when police Tasered the suspect.

A man carrying a knife had threatened three men and two female employees at the petrol station in the village of Frankenfelt in Rhineland-Palatinate state.

After releasing four of his hostages, the man demanded a car and a mobile phone and then left the petrol station holding his last hostage.

As the man tried to make his escape, a police officer managed to subdue him with a Taser.

The suspect and one officer were slightly hurt in the incident, police said. The motive behind the man's actions remains unclear