German police shoot man who threatened Euro fans in Hamburg with a pickaxe

The Hamburg Police shot a man armed with a pickaxe and an incendiary device this Sunday in the center of the German city, according to authorities. The attacker, who was threatening a group of Eurocup fans, is seriously injured and is receiving medical attention.

The incident took place in the St Pauli district, near the area where fans of the Dutch soccer team are located, which at 3:00 p.m. will face Poland in the city stadium for the Euro Cup, according to police reports in a message published on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

German media report that the police first used pepper spray against the attacker, who was threatening the Dutch fans with his ice-axe-like pickaxe. An agent first fired into the air as a warning and, since the man did not stop, he fired several shots until he fell to the ground. According to the Bild newspaper, he was shot in the leg.

The attacker also had a Molotov cocktail in his hand. Authorities believe he wanted to detonate the incendiary device among the crowd of fans. According to a police spokesperson, the attack is not related to the match between Holland and Poland that is being played at 3 p.m. in Hamburg. The incident occurred around noon, when the Dutch fans had just participated in the “fan walk” through the center of the Hanseatic city.

Germany has increased security during the Euro Cup for fear of Islamist terrorism and hooligans,althoughLast week the Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, assured that “there are no concrete indications of a threat.”For one month, 51 matches will be played in 10 cities in the country, attracting 2.7 million spectators to their stadiums and streets. The Interior has assigned 22,000 Federal Police agents alone to monitor the Euro Cup, the largest deployment since its founding in 1951.

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