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German police have shot a man they say was armed with “a pickaxe and an incendiary device” on the sidelines of a parade in Hamburg, just hours before the city was set to host its first match of the monthlong 2024 European Championship.
According to a police post on X, the person threatened officers before he was shot.
In a video circulating on social media and verified by NBC News, gunshots could be heard as several police officers mobilized with firearms drawn. A Hamburg police spokesperson told the BBC that the suspect had tried to ignite a petrol bomb, but that officers responded with pepper spray before shooting him.
According to local media, one officer fired a warning shot before several other shots were fired.
The attacker was injured and is currently receiving treatment, the police said. The man was shot in the leg, The Associated Press reported, adding that no one else was hurt.
The incident took place in Hamburg’s St. Pauli district, where tens of thousands of fans had gathered before Sunday afternoon’s Group D match between the Netherlands and Poland, which kicked off at 3 p.m. local time at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion as scheduled.
Another police post on X said the Heiligengeistfeld fan park, an area designated for supporters in the city, was well protected, and that they believed the man was acting alone.
German authorities have deemed some matches to be “high-risk,” including England’s clash with Serbia Sunday evening, highlighting a concern that 500 Serbian hooligans could be among the supporters.
Security concerns are heightened across Europe amid a summer of high-profile sporting events, particularly in France as the country gears up to host the Olympics this summer, amid the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and a spate of politically motivated attacks.
In May, a man in southern France was arrested over a plan to attack a soccer stadium that will be used during the Olympics.
France’s leader said Monday that the country has alternatives prepared if security threats require changing its plans for a spectacular opening ceremony to the Paris Olympics this summer.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Freddie Clayton is a freelance journalist based in London.
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