BERLIN (AP) – German police said yesterday they shot and wounded a man who was threatening them with an axe and a Molotov cocktail in the northern city of Hamburg, hours before it hosted a match in the European Championship football tournament.
Police officers opened fire after the man refused to put down the axe and a Molotov cocktail, hitting him in the leg, police spokesman Thilo Marxsen said. The man was hospitalised with his injuries, Marxsen said. No one else was hurt. The incident occurred in the St Pauli area of the northern port city, which was thronged with fans before yesterday’s Group ‘D’ match between the Netherlands and Poland. Marxsen said that there was no initial indication that it was related to the Euro 2024 game.
German authorities have put police on high alert during the tournament, which began on Friday and runs through July 14, for fear of possible fan violence and extremist attacks.
