Man who 'attacked police officer with pickaxe' shot near Euro 2024 fan park

A man who launched an axe attack on a police officer and was found with an 'incendiary device' near a Euro 2024 fan zone in Hamburg has been shot by authorities.

Described as 'severely injured', the assailant was rushed to hospital following the incident. The German city is currently hosting thousands of Dutch and Polish fans ahead of the 2pm kick-off for today's Group D match.

Following the assault, the Reeperbahn, one of the city's most renowned streets, was swiftly shut down by police. Reports suggest that at around 12:30pm local time, the individual struck a police officer with a gold-coloured pickaxe.

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Initially, officers tried to subdue him using pepper spray but were forced to shoot when he did not relent. After being shot, the man fell to the ground and the vicinity was quickly evacuated.

On social media, Police Hamburg issued a statement saying: "There is currently a major police operation. According to initial findings, a person threatened police officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device. The police then used their firearms. The attacker was injured and is currently receiving medical treatment.", reports the Mirror.

In a follow-up message, the police clarified that they believe the attacker acted alone and reassured the public that the area remains secure: "The event at Heiligengeistfeld is subject to various security checks and is well protected. We are currently assuming that there was a lone perpetrator."

Manuel Ostermann, a member of the German Police union, took to social media to voice his concerns about the security situation in Germany. He wrote: "Germany, you have a security problem. Homemade through our policies of the last few years. I would like to thank my colleagues for their important and life-saving work."

This follows an incident in Dortmund where approximately 100 Albanian ultras attacked Italian fans near a city fast-food restaurant, which was also targeted. Riot police armed with batons swiftly intervened to control the disorder ahead of the match.

An eyewitness speaking to the Daily Mail described the sudden eruption of violence: "The violence came out of nowhere. The Albanian and Italian fans had been singing all day long without any problems but then it all suddenly kicked off. The riot police moved in very quickly and soon had the thugs held up against the wall."

In related news, UEFA has categorised the upcoming England and Serbia match as a 'high-risk fixture', sparking fears of potential hooliganism. Only low-strength alcohol will be available at Schalke's Veltins Arena, although FA chief executive Mark Bullingham is confident that the police are ready to handle any disturbances.

He expressed hope that England supporters will maintain their recent good behaviour.

Bullingham said: "What I would say is, over the last few years our England fans have been absolutely brilliant support to us, particularly in the stadium. There are a lot of people going to come out here,".

"The best thing that the fans can do to help us do well in this tournament is be a tribute to their country. We want them to do that, reminding them that in 2006 we were the fans of the tournament. They were brilliant then."

Today's Euro 2024 group-stage action is kicked off with the Netherlands and Poland locking horns at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion, as England takes on Serbia in Gelsenkirchen and Slovenia clashes with Denmark in Stuttgart.

Each team boasts strong support in Hamburg due to the proximity of both the Netherlands and Poland to Germany. The expected Dutch lineup includes heavyweight names like Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo from Liverpool, and former Manchester United star Memphis Depay.

Meanwhile, Poland will likely be missing their prolific forward Robert Lewandowski following a muscle injury acquired during an earlier friendlycoach Michal Probierz hopes for his return against Austria next Friday. The Netherlands are also coping with setbacks; midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners have been sidelined for the duration of the tournament, while Brian Brobbey was absent from their final training session.

Adding to the competition, France, one of the favourites, is also in Group D, which boasts the title of having the highest average FIFA world ranking amongst all groups.

France are set to face Austria at 8pm on Monday in Dusseldorf.