German police shoot man ahead of Netherlands vs Poland Euro 2024 game. What do we know?
As is always the case with major international tournaments, there’s the possibility of violence. Sadly, local police were forced to respond in kind.
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It’s a summer of soccer in Germany with the UEFA Euro 2024 now in full swing. With fans from around the continent descending on the country, it’s truly a celebration of the world’s biggest sport. Unfortunately, not everybody sees it that way and that’s why police intervention was required to stop a threatening fan on Sunday.
Police shoot a man in Hamburg ahead of Euro Cup game
According to German police on Sunday, officers shot and wounded a man who was threatening them with an axe and a firebomb in the northern city of Hamburg. The incident occurred just hours ahead of the Euro 2024 match set to be played in the city.
It is understood that police opened fire on the individual after he refused to lay down the ax, striking him in the leg. Images were later published by German media in which a man could be seen lying in the street while surrounded by paramedics and police officers. Regarding specifics, the shooting occurred in the downtown area of St. Pauli, a financial hub of the northern port city. At the time of the incident, the city was understandably inundated by fans ahead of the evening match between Poland and the Netherlands.
With that said, a spokesman for police stated that there was no indication at present that the incident had any relation to the match itself. Regardless, German authorities have been in a state of heightened vigilance since the tournament began on Friday, June 14th, something that makes perfect sense given the recent arrest made in France ahead of the upcoming Olympic games in Paris. It should also be said that the incident follows on from Friday’s fatal shooting of an Afghan man after he himself fatally attacked a compatriot before wounding three people who were watching a broadcast of Germany vs Scotland - the opening game of the tournament - in an eastern town. The motive for the attack remains unclear.