German police shoot axe-wielding attacker in Hamburg (VIDEO)

A man armed with a pickaxe and a Molotov cocktail threatened law enforcement officers, the authorities have said

A man wielding an axe and a Molotov cocktail tried to attack officers and passers-by on a busy street in the center of Hamburg, Germany on Sunday. The incident took place ahead of a 2024 EUFA European Football Championship game between the Netherlands and Poland.

The suspect emerged from a cafe near the Reeperbahn Street, according to German media. He was armed with “a pickaxe and an incendiary device,” the police said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). The man threatened officers, prompting them to discharge their firearms, the statement said, adding that the attacker was injured and was “receiving medical treatment.” The police did not say that any other people were affected by the incident.

Authorities have not officially commented on either the suspect’s identity or his possible motive. Videos that have been circulating on social media show a man dressed in black wearing a backpack approaching the officers cordoning off a Hamburg street and shouting at them. He can be seen holding what appears to be an axe in one of his hands and a Molotov cocktail in the other one.

In Hamburg hat die Polizei einen Mann, der mit einer Spitzhacke bewaffnet war und einen Brandsatz mit sich führte, niedergeschossen. Alle Informationen: https://t.co/YYSAz3uUCW pic.twitter.com/YDoTdXw3DM

— NIUS (@niusde_) June 16, 2024

The man then turns away from the police and runs after some passers-by, prompting the officers to chase him and open fire. The attacker can then be seen falling to the ground.

The incident took place around the same time Dutch football fans held a march in the city ahead of their national team’s match against Poland. The event had already ended by the time the shooting took place, according to German media. The Reeperbahn is also more than a kilometer away from the official fan zone.

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“There is no indication that there is any connection to football,” a police spokesman told journalists.