German police shoot man with pickaxe near Euro 2024 fan zone

CNN
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German police shot dead a man in Hamburg on Sunday who threatened officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device, authorities said, hours before the city was due to host the first match of the 2024 European Football Championship.

The suspect had threatened police officers in the Hamburg district of St. Pauli and was shot in the leg, according to Hamburg police. The suspect is receiving medical treatment.

Although the incident occurred 700 metres from a Euro 2024 fan zone, police said it had no connection with the upcoming match between Poland and the Netherlands.

Supporters of the Dutch team had taken part in a “fan march” near the crime scene earlier in the day, but by the time the man began threatening police officers, the march had already ended and there were only a few fans left in the area, a police spokesman said.

Police also stated that the incident was not linked to terrorism.

Germany will welcome hundreds of thousands of foreign fans to the month-long tournament that began on Friday.

Reuters reported that British Home Secretary Nancy Faeser said on Thursday that authorities were on alert for Islamist-motivated attacks and hooligan-related violence.

She said the authorities had the “Islamist scene firmly in their sights,” but no specific threats had been identified.