Euro 2024: Axe-wielding man shot by German police ahead of Poland vs Netherlands match

The German policeshot an axe-wielding man in Hamburg wherefans had gathered, hours ahead of the Euro 2024 match between Netherlands and Poland.

The incident took place in theReeperbahn district - a popular entertainment district in Hamburg's city centre where a police officer was initially attacked by the man.The area where almost 40,000 Dutch fans had gathered was subsequently cleared around 12:30 p.m. CET (6:30 am ET) before the security agencies shot the attacker.

Police said the man was also carrying an incendiary device, probably some kind of Molotov cocktail. The media reports said police used pepper spray against the attacker before deploying a firearm.

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"At St Pauli, there is currently a major police operation.According to initial findings, a person threatened police officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device," the Hamburg Police informed in a statement.

"The police then used their firearms. The attacker was injured and is currently receiving medical treatment."

The motive of the attacker remains unknown at this stage but reports indicate that it was not related to football. The video clips of the incident have gone viral on social media and show the attacker attempting to charge at the officials who gave him ample opportunity to surrender before discharging their firearm.

Previous incident

Sunday's incident isnot the first violent incident to have rocked the Euros. On the opening night of the tournament on Friday (Jun 14), a knifeman in eastern Germany killed one person and severely injured two more at a Euros party ahead of the match between Germany and Scotland.

Reports indicate that the England vs Serbia match could also see disruption as over 500 Serbian hooligans were planning to engage in violent conduct against their English counterparts.

The tournament's security has been beefed updue to concerns of hooliganism and the potential for a terrorist attack. There have been reports that terror outfit Islamic Statehas been planning an operation at the marquee tournament, which is expected to attract 2.7 million visitors to Germany.

(With inputs from agencies)