Man with axe carrying 'incendiary device' shot by police outside Euro 2024 fan park

The Netherlands are due to play Poland at 2pm in Hamburg today and the build-up to the match has been marred by an incident which took place near to one of UEFA's fan parks

A man who attacked a police officer with an axe and was in possession of an 'incendiary device' close to a Euro 2024 fan park in Hamburg has been shot.

The attacker is described as 'severely injured' and has been driven away in an ambulance. Thousands of Dutch and Polish supporters are in the German city ahead of today's 2pm kick-off in Group D.

Police promptly closed the Reeperbahn, a famous street in the city, following the attack. Around 12:30pm local time, the man is said to have attacked a police officer with a gold-tinted pickaxe.

Fellow officers firstly used pepper spray in an attempt to disarm him before firing several shots. The man then collapsed and the area was quickly cleared of supporters.

Police Hamburg released a statement on social media which read: "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."

In a subsequent post, the police force confirmed their belief the attacker was a lone perpetrator, advising that people could still visit the area: "The event at Heiligengeistfeld is subject to various security checks and is well protected. We are currently assuming that there was a lone perpetrator."

German Police union member Manuel Ostermann posted on social media in response to the attack: "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."

Sunday's events followed an incident in Dortmund yesterday when around 100 Albanian ultras launched an attack on Italian fans near a fast-food restaurant in the city, which was also targeted. Riot police armed with batons promptly swooped in and dealt with disorder ahead of the match.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, an eyewitness said: "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."

Meanwhile, UEFA have labelled England and Serbia's match a 'high-risk fixture' amid fears of hooliganism. Only low-strength alcohol is to be served at Schalke's Veltins Arena, although FA chief executive Mark Bullingham insists that police are prepared for any trouble and hopes that England supporters can continue their good recent track record.

"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," Bullingham said.

"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."

The Netherlands and Poland are due to face off at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion in the first of three Euro 2024 group-stage matches today, including England's opening game against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen. Also taking place is the Group C clash between Slovenia and Denmark in Stuttgart.

Both the Netherlands and Poland are well-supported in Hamburg thanks to each nation bordering Germany. The Dutch are expected to line up with an XI which includes captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool team-mate Cody Gakpo as well as ex- Manchester United forward Memphis Depay.

Poland are set to be without their talismanic No.9, Robert Lewandowski, who tore a muscle during a friendly earlier this week. Boss Michal Probierz says that he'll 'probably' be fit to face Austria next Friday, while the Netherlands have had their own injury issues in the week leading up to the tournament.

Midfield duo Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners were both ruled out of the entire tournament, and striker Brian Brobbey missed the Netherlands' final training session before today's game. France - among the favourites to win Euro 2024 - are also in Group D, making it the group which boasts the highest average FIFA world ranking across all four teams.

France play Austria at 8pm on Monday in Dusseldorf.

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