Hamburg police have confirmed they shot a man who threatened them with a pickaxe and an “incendiary device” near where Dutch fans gathered ahead of their Euro 2024 match.
The incident happened in Hamburg’s St Pauli district on Sunday at around 12:30 p.m. local time, around 90 minutes before Poland played the Netherlands at the nearby Volksparkstadion.
A statement from the Hamburg police said: “A major police operation is currently taking place in St. Pauli. According to initial findings, a person threatened the police officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device. The police then used their firearms. The attacker was injured and is currently receiving medical treatment.
Around 40,000 fans were peacefully in Hamburg, with the incident occurring as Dutch fans were marching towards the stadium.
Footage on social media showed thousands of Dutch fans in the city enjoying the build-up to the Group D match against Poland.
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Chief Constable Mark Roberts, head of the UK’s football policing unit, says no England fans were involved in police shooting in Hamburg and stresses safe travel in Germany around of the dates of Euro 2024.
Chief Constable Mark Roberts, head of the UK Football Policing Unit, said Sky Sports News: “There is nothing to suggest any British involvement.
“In Hamburg it’s a bit far from where we are, but it reminds us that there are a lot of things happening in the world that are not necessarily related to football. People need to be aware of their surroundings and do attention.”
“The incident is not football-related”
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Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol provides details of an incident in Germany in which police were threatened by a person with an axe.
Kaveh Solhekol, chief reporter at Sky Sports News in Gelsenkirchen:
“After Dutch fans marched down the Reeperbahn – one of Hamburg’s main streets – an incident was filmed where someone dressed in black, holding a small pickaxe, appears to threaten a group of German police officers.
“They tried to calm him down, but as he appeared to threaten them, they apparently used pepper spray on him, causing him to run away. He was chased by police officers who appeared to shoot him a bullet in the leg.
“We are told he is in hospital and German authorities say they believe this incident is not football-related, even though it happened very close to kick-off of this match and very close from the place where many Dutch fans were gathered.
Euro 2024 Calendar – Sunday June 16
Group D: Poland vs Netherlands (Hamburg, kick-off 2:00 p.m. UK time)
Group C: Slovenia vs Denmark (Stuttgart, kick-off 5pm UK time)
Group C: Serbia vs England (Gelsenkirchen, kick-off 8pm UK time)
