Policemen stand next to a backpack lying on the ground as they secure an area close to the Reeperbahn street and entertainment district following a police intervention on June 16, 2024, hours before the kick off for the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D football match between Poland and the Netherlands. (Photo by Bodo Marks / dpa / AFP)
Hamburg: Police shot and injured a man who threatened them with an axe and a Molotov cocktail ahead of a Euro 2024 match in Hamburg on Sunday, German authorities said.
The incident triggered a "major operation" in the city's St Pauli district, police said on X, formerly Twitter.
"The attacker was injured and is currently receiving medical treatment," they added.
According to a police spokesman, there was no indication that the incident was linked to the Euro 2024 clash between Poland and the Netherlands taking place later on Sunday.
The attacker "came out of a pub with a pickaxe and a Molotov cocktail and threatened the police", the spokesman said, adding that the suspect was shot in the leg.
The incident took place near the Reeperbahn station, more than a kilometre away from the city's official fan zone.
