Man with an ax carrying ‘incendiary device’ shot dead by police outside Euro 2024 fan park

The Netherlands are scheduled to play a match against Poland at 2 p.m. in Hamburg today, and preparations for the match have been disrupted by an incident that occurred near one of UEFA’s fan parks

Police cordoned off the area in Hamburg(Steven Hutchings/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

A man who attacked a police officer with an ax and possessed an “incendiary device” near the Euro 2024 fan park in Hamburg has been shot dead.

The attacker is described as “seriously injured” and was taken away by ambulance. Thousands of Dutch and Polish fans flocked to the German city ahead of today’s Group D match at 2 p.m.

After the attack, police immediately closed the Reeperbahn, a famous street in the city. The man is said to have attacked a police officer with a gold-colored pickaxe at around 12:30 p.m. local time.

Fellow officers first used pepper spray to try to disarm him, and then fired several shots. The man then collapsed and the area was quickly cleared of supporters.

Hamburg police published a statement on social media, which read: “A serious police operation is currently underway. According to preliminary findings, the person threatened police officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device. The police then used firearms. The attacker was injured and is currently under medical care.”

In a follow-up post, police confirmed their belief that the attacker was a lone perpetrator, advising that people should still be allowed to visit the area: “The Heiligengeistfeld event is subject to various security checks and is well protected. We currently assume there was a lone perpetrator.”

A member of the German police union, Manuel Ostermann, posted the following on social media in response to the attack: “Germany, you have a security problem. It has come to light because of our policies over the last few years. I would like to thank my colleagues for their important and life-saving work.”

The police fired several shots

They then moved in as the attacker collapsed

Sunday’s events followed yesterday’s incident in Dortmund, when around 100 Albanian ultras launched an attack on Italian fans near a fast food restaurant in the city, which was also targeted. Police armed with batons immediately moved in and dealt with the chaos before the match.