- Four loud explosions were heard near the Reeperbahn in Hamburg
This is the dramatic moment when armed German police today approach an axman near a Euro Cup fan zone before shooting him.
A man dressed in black wields an ax and holds a firebomb near Reppenbahm in Hamburg as he walks towards officers behind a barrier and shouts at them.
Video footage shows him carrying a backpack in the busy district where tens of thousands of Dutch fans were taking part in a peaceful march just hours before the Netherlands’ clash with Poland.
He turns his back as he is sprayed with pepper spray and runs up the street as pedestrians cross the street.
The officers jump over the barriers and chase him before four loud explosions sound. Then the man falls to the ground.
The officers opened fire after the man refused to put down the ax and hit him in the leg, the German news agency dpa reported.
The attack reportedly took place at around 12.30 pm local time in the downtown St. Pauli area of the northern port city.
This is the dramatic moment armed German police approach an axe-wielding man near a Euro fan zone today before shooting him.
The man dressed in black wields an ax and holds a firebomb near Reppenbahm in Hamburg, shouting at officers behind a barrier.
He turns his back as he is sprayed with pepper spray and runs up the street as pedestrians cross the street.
A broken bottle surrounded by spray paint is seen in a cordoned off area on Silbersackstrasse after police shot down an attacker.
Riot police swooped and shot an axe-wielding man after he allegedly began threatening officers.
German media published images of a person lying in the street surrounded by paramedics and police.
Police believe the man is a “lone perpetrator” and say he is currently receiving medical treatment.
A police spokesman said there were no initial indications the incident was related to the football match.
The Hamburg police wrote on X/Twitter: ‘In #StPauli there is currently a major police operation.
«According to the first conclusions, a person threatened 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.
The incident came after thousands of German officers monitored tens of thousands of Dutch fans, who turned Hamburg’s Reeperbahn red-light district into a sea of orange on Saturday night.
The night appeared to pass without incident, with few Poles present and few signs of the Dutch becoming aggressive.
German police fired an ax today near a Euro Cup fan zone during a march by Dutch fans.
Police cordon off an area near the Reeperbahn in Hamburg after a man allegedly began threatening an officer with an axe.
Four loud booms were heard near the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, where Dutch and Polish fans were gathering before today’s match.
Around 40,000 Dutch supporters were taking part in a peaceful march when a man wielding a golden ax began attacking an officer.
Dutch fans are pictured during their Fan Walk in the official UEFA Fan Zone.
British police said before the tournament that the reputation of national team fans was much better than that of club fans who had caused a massacre in the club competition.
Images on social media had previously shown thousands of Netherlands fans in the city enjoying preparations for the Group D match, which is scheduled to start at 2pm BST.
The match will take place at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion, whose city fan park is located in the St Pauli district.
