Berlin - Vandals have returned to the Weissensee Jewish Cemetery in suburban Berlin for a second night running, desecrating and knocking over tombstones, German police said Wednesday.

The extensive walled cemetery, established in 1880, survived the Second World War intact and is still in use. The damage to 20 graves and 10 park barriers late Tuesday was in a different area to that where tombstones were knocked over late Monday.

Police responsible for crimes against the state were investigating, since a political motive "could not be ruled out," city police said. There have been several attacks by anti-Semitic vandals on old Jewish cemeteries in Germany in recent weeks.

Established in 1880, the Weissensee site is one of Europe's largest and most ornate Jewish cemeteries with 115,000 graves. (dpa)