Hamburg police shoot axe-wielding man at Euro 2024

A major operation has taken place in central Hamburg after a man with an axe threatened police officers, officials in the German city say.

Police say they shot and seriously injured the man, who is receiving medical attention.

According to media reports, the incident took place near a fan zone for supporters of the Dutch football team.

It is not thought to be related to the game between the Netherlands and Poland, which took part in Hamburg on Sunday as part of the Euro 2024 tournament.

An initial police statement said that a man threatened police officers with a pickaxe and an “incendiary device”.

Later, a Hamburg police spokesperson said the suspect was armed with a pickaxe and had tried to ignite a petrol bomb – but that officers responded with pepper spray and then shot him.

He was given first aid at the scene and then taken to hospital.

“We are assuming that this is an isolated case, which means it is not football-related,” police spokeswoman Sandra Levgruen told reporters.

The incident is understood to have taken place at around 12:30 local time (10:30 GMT).

Video footage posted online, shows a man wielding an axe in front of police officers before a series of suspected gunshot sounds can be heard.

The man has not been identified by the police and the authorities have not commented on what motivations they believe were behind the incident.

There are approximately 30,000 Dutch fans in the city, and probably a similar number of Polish. There appears to be a good atmosphere ahead of the match, which is seemingly unaffected by the incident.