German police have arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of murdering a gas station worker, after a row over wearing a face mask.

Authorities in the western German town of Trier said the suspect told police he acted “out of anger” after the 20-year-old gas station worker asked him to wear a face mask.

“The suspect also said during interrogation that he refuses measures related to the coronavirus,” the police said in a statement.

According to the investigations, the man initially left the gas station after the dispute, but then returned, wearing a face mask, and shot the worker before fleeing.

Police have not released the identity of the suspect, a German citizen, in line with privacy laws, the Associated Press reported.

Wearing a face mask is among the measures in place in Germany to stop the spread of the new Corona virus.