German police have arrested a man who barricaded himself inside a cafe all night along with 12 other people after failing to show up for a trial.

Officers in the south-western city of Freiburg say the 36-year-old man, who is of Kurdish origin, made a "very emotional" phone call to officers on Thursday evening after staying away from a city court, where he was due to face narcotics charges.

He then shut himself into a cafe in an industrial area with 12 relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Police said the others were apparently well-disposed toward him, but authorities feared the man might have weapons. They spent hours negotiating with him by phone.

The man was arrested on Friday morning, with police adding that there was "no longer any threat".