THE HAUGE - A 26-year-old man of Syrian background, who was shot by police in his leg after waving an ax and calling "Allahu Akbar" on a balcony in Schiedam in west Nethelrands on Wednesday, probably had a psychosis, the mayor of the Dutch city announced on Thursday.

"There is no indication of religious motives or terrorism," Cor Lamers, mayor of Schiedam, told Dutch media RTV Rijnmond.

The man has lived with his father in Schiedam since 2015 and was familiar to aid agencies, according to the mayor.

"It is really a confused man with psychological problems and I do not want to play down what has happened because such people can also develop dangerous activities," he said. "It was fortunate that the incident took place in a home."

The ax-waving man refused to calm down when police forced into his apartment. He stabbed a police dog and the police shot him in the leg. When released from the hospital, he will be taken into custody.

The Dutch police said the background of this man is still being checked.