Berlin, June 16 (EFE).– Police shot a man wielding a pickaxe and an incendiary device in the northern German city of Hamburg on Sunday, officials said.

The incident took place in the downtown St Pauli district of the city, the Hamburg police said.

“There is currently a major police operation in St Pauli. According to initial findings, a person threatened police officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device,” the police said in a statement. “The officers then used their firearms. The attacker was injured and is currently receiving medical treatment.”

The incident occurred near the Reeperbahn, a central street in Hamburg, during a festive day as the city hosted a Euro Cup football match between Poland and Holland.

Germany is hosting the month-long tournament that began on Friday night.

A video circulating on social media shows the police intervention. Before using their firearms, the officers used pepper spray against the suspected attacker before suing a firearm.

The mass-circulated Bild newspaper reported that the suspect joined the crowd and tried to attack fans and officers with the pickaxe.

Police said security was heightened ahead of Sunday’s soccer match, with hundreds of Hamburg and federal police officers guarding the event and its surroundings.

The police said the event at Heiligengeistfeld was subject to various security checks and was well protected. “We are currently assuming that there was a lone perpetrator.” EFE

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