German police believe the man who climbed onto the arena roof during the 2024 European Championship match was a potential photographer

DORTMUND, Germany — German police said Sunday they believe the man who climbed onto the roof of the stadium during Germany’s Euro 2024 match against Denmark was a potential photographer and said there was no evidence he intended to hurt anyone.

A video from public broadcaster WDR apparently showed the man being held between the catwalks and beams on the underside of the roof of the Westfalenstadion after the round of 16 match, which Germany won 2-0.

It was the latest security breach at a stadium during a tournament that saw European football’s governing body UEFA fail to address issues surrounding the tournament in any public forum this month.

Dortmund police said the man was a 21-year-old from the nearby city of Osnabrück and was currently being investigated on suspicion of trespassing. Police added that they were “currently ruling out a political motive.”

The man was carrying camera equipment in a backpack and no dangerous objects, police said. During questioning, he allegedly said he wanted to take “good photos.”

“There is currently no evidence that the man intended to endanger stadium visitors through his behavior,” said a police statement the previous evening.

Police said the man was first spotted around halftime of the game, which had been interrupted due to a thunderstorm.

At about this point, referee Michael Oliver called both team captains together and appeared to point upwards toward the roof. The climber’s presence was unknown to many fans at this point. There was no announcement to the crowd.

It was initially unclear how the man was able to get into the stadium. Fans are generally not allowed to bring large backpacks.

Previous security lapses at Euro 2024 allowed several fans to approach Portugal’s star player Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch and take selfies. At Portugal’s next match, one person jumped out of the crowd and nearly collided with Ronaldo after UEFA promised to tighten security measures.

At the opening ceremony on June 14, a German YouTuber filmed and published a video showing himself entering the Munich stadium using fake login details and entering the pitch disguised as a mascot costume he had purchased online.

On Sunday, UEFA praised the “very professional approach of the police and special forces as well as the excellent cooperation” with tournament officials, which led to a safe resolution of the latest incident.

UEFA promised to further review security at the ten venues hosting the matches, but did not provide details.

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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024