Knifeman shot dead after killing one and wounding three at German Euros party

A knifeman has killed one person and severely injured two more at a Euros party in East Germany.

The attacker, who was shot dead by police, struck a garden in the city of Magdeburg where a family were hosting a private party to watch Germany’s opening match against Scotland.

At least three people were injured in the attack on Friday night, with two suffering severe wounds. Police have not yet released a statement as to the current condition of the victims.

A police spokeswoman said the attacker went for police officers on their arrival, and one officer drew his pistol and fatally shot him.

The killer is also suspected of murdering another man earlier in a high-rise building near where the party took place. Police were alerted when he threatened people on an allotment on his way to the party venue.

It is unclear whether the attack is being treated as possible terrorism.

Germany has been on high alert about the possibility of terror attacks during the coming four weeks of football.

In March, Berlin announced that it would be carrying out checks on all its borders to prevent possible terror attacks after Isis called on Islamists in Europe to attack sporting venues.

Nancy Faeser, the German interior minister, said: “We are arming ourselves against all conceivable dangers with the maximum commitment of the security authorities.

“Our focus ranges from the threat of Islamist terror to hooligans and cyber attacks. The Federal Police will protect Germany’s borders, airports and rail traffic.”

Speaking before the championship began, Ms Faeser said Germany had no knowledge of “concrete plans” to attack the tournament.

German police have set up a command centre in the city of Neuss in the Rhine region where counter-terror police from across the continent have gathered to work on ensuring safety in and around tournament venues over the next month.

Islamist held at airport

Earlier this month, police arrested a known Islamist at Cologne Airport on charges that he had transferred cryptocurrency to an Islamic state cell in Afghanistan.

The suspect, identified only as Soufian T in line with German privacy laws, reportedly applied for jobs as a security guard at outdoor screenings of Euros matches, but his application was rejected based on a tip-off from Germany’s domestic security agency.

Germany has suffered a sharp rise in knife crime recently.

In late May, a radicalised asylum seeker from Afghanistan attacked and killed a policeman in the city of Mannheim during a suspected terror attack in the town centre.

The knifeman had assaulted activists in the town square from the Right-wing movement Pax Europa, which takes a critical stance on Islam.

That assault led to a national outpouring of sympathy for the young officer, who died two days later in hospital. Police officers held solidarity marches up and down the country.

Following the attack, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, declared he wanted to start deporting criminal refugees back to Afghanistan, despite Germany having no diplomatic ties to the Taliban-run state.