Man ‘threatens Euro 2024 fans with axe’ before being shot by police
Police have shot down a man armed with an axe nearby crowds of football fans at Euro 2024.
Early reports indicate police have closed down the Reeperbahn in Hamburg.
The area is understood not to be far from thousands of Dutch fans who have gathered in the German city for the Euro 2024 games.
Four loud bangs were heard before hundreds of riot police moved in.
Rory Smith, chief football correspondent for the New York Times, posted on X: ‘To confirm: police have shot a man threatening fans with an axe a few hundred yards away from the fan zone in Hamburg.
‘Attacker is “severely injured” and has just been driven away in an ambulance.’
It’s further being reported that the suspect was specifically armed with a ‘pickaxe’ and an ‘incendiary device’.
The individual is understood to have been shot and and injured by authorities after also threatening officers in the area.
Around 40,000 fans are understood to have been present in the neighbourhood, as part of a march before the European Championship match between Poland and the Netherlands, according to Bild.
The attack took place at roughly 12.30pm local time.
Police are reported to have first used pepper spray against the man before eventually resorting to firearms.
Authorities have said in a statement that one officer fired a warning shot.
The German newspaper has since reported the ‘incendiary device’ in the attacker’s possession may have been a Molotov cocktail concealed in his backpack.
The man is currently receiving medical treatment following the shooting.
To confirm: police have shot a man threatening fans with an axe a few hundred yards away from the fan zone in Hamburg. Attacker is “severely injured” and has just been driven away in an ambulance. https://t.co/D24dEJsrJ7
— Rory Smith (@RorySmith) June 16, 2024
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