The man who was seen wielding an axe-like object before the Euro 2024 match between Netherlands and Poland on Sunday (June 16) has been charged with manslaughter. The development was shared in a statement by the Attorney General’s Office in Hamburg on Monday (June 17).
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Police shot the man in the leg after he did not drop the object which was defined as a pickaxe by the German police.
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“The temporary confinement of the person concerned has just been ordered.
“He is charged with attempted manslaughter and crimes under the Weapons Act. He did not provide any information about the accusation during the presentation,” read the statement.
The Attorney General’s statement also added that the case is now with the Central Office of State Security because of “the significance of the matter and the still unclear background of the crime”.
The incident took place in the Reeperbahn district – a popular entertainment district in Hamburg’s city centre where a police officer was initially attacked by the man. The area where almost 40,000 Dutch fans had gathered was subsequently cleared around 12:30 p.m. CET (6:30 am ET) before the security agencies shot the attacker.
Police said the man was also carrying an incendiary device, probably some kind of Molotov cocktail. The media reports said police used pepper spray against the attacker before deploying a firearm.
The motive of the attacker remains unknown at this stage but reports indicate that it was not related to football. The video clips of the incident have gone viral on social media and show the attacker attempting to charge at the officials who gave him ample opportunity to surrender before discharging their firearm.
Sunday’s incident is not the first violent incident to have rocked the Euros. On the opening night of the tournament on Friday (Jun 14), a knifeman in eastern Germany killed one person and severely injured two more at a Euros party ahead of the match between Germany and Scotland.
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