German Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer on Monday condemned the riots in Stuttgart over the weekend, calling it a "sign of alarm for the rule of law."

For some time now, violence and insults against police and rescue services have been "steadily" increasing, said Seehofer, who visited the scene of the weekend riots in Stuttgart, and called for "swift and tough" punishment of those responsible.

"Punishment is always the best means of prevention to avoid such things in the future," he said.

Late Saturday and early Sunday, hundreds of people rioted, looted the city center and attacked police officers. At least 19 police officers were injured and 24 suspects were provisionally arrested.

According to Stuttgart police, around 300 police officers, including those from the surrounding areas, were called in to control the situation.

The riots were apparently triggered by the arrest of a person on suspicion of drug possession, according to city officials. After the arrest, a crowd attacked police officers by throwing stones and bottles.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also condemned the outbreaks of violence. Government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said that the scenes in Stuttgart were "vile" and inexcusable. 

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