STORY: :: Graphic content

This was the moment before German police fired shots at a person said to have threatened officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device in Hamburg on Sunday (June 16).

The incident took place on the sidelines of a Euro 2024 soccer fan parade in the St Pauli district, ahead of a match between Poland and the Netherlands.

Hamburg police spokesperson Sandra Levgruen:

"According to what we now know, our latest information, a man left a bar. He apparently had a Molotov cocktail in his hand and also a pickaxe. 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."

Fan marches are scheduled ahead of the games and a parade for Dutch supporters was held around the time of the incident.

"We assume that this is an isolated case, that is, disconnected from football. It obviously has no connection to football, but we are dealing with an individual offender. And in this respect, I don't see any threat at all or any impact on the game today."

The attacker was injured in the leg and was receiving medical care but his condition is not life-threatening, a police spokesperson said.