Euro 2024: Man shot by Hamburg police after ax threat

A man was shot by police in an area packed with football supporters in Hamburg, Germany, ahead of Poland's Euro 2024 game with the Netherlands after threatening an officer with an ax, according to the city's police force.

The Reeperbahn district, which was populated by thousands of Dutch supporters at the time, was cleared by police shortly before 12:30 p.m. CET (6:30 a.m. ET) after the threat.

Riot police entered the area and shot the man responsible.

"He apparently tried to set fire to this Molotov cocktail and then approached several people including police officers, and the police officers then had to make use of their firearms," Hamburg police spokesperson Sandra Levgruen said.

"We assume that this is an isolated case, that is, disconnected from football... I don't see any threat at all or any impact on the game today."

Levgruen added that the police "still don't have any insights into the background, including his motivation, which may have led to this, but the investigations will certainly provide that."

Police officers shot the man in the leg, Hamburg police told German news agency dpa.

A heavy police presence has been visible in Hamburg ahead of the game, but both sets of supporters have mixed peacefully ahead of the incident.

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 terrorist attacks.

Information from the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.