The police in Dortmund are concerned about a strange incident during the Euro 2024 Round of 16 match between Germany and Denmark. A 21-year-old climbed onto the stadium roof and was detained after the final whistle. It turned out that the man was already known to the authorities.

Fear of an attack

Just before the start of the second half, referee Michael Oliver called the captains of both teams to him and pointed upwards while speaking with them. The reason for this behavior remained unclear until the end of the match, in which Germany won 2-0. After the match, it was revealed that an initially unidentified man had climbed onto the roof of the Westfalenstadion and had to be brought down by the police. The man, a 21-year-old from Osnabrück, was arrested, the police reported on Sunday morning. The police later ruled out any political motivation. An investigation into the trespassing incident is ongoing.

Since the police became aware of the situation in the stadium at 10:11 PM, officers continuously monitored the 21-year-old, it was stated. He posed no threat. According to Bild, a police special team,SEK,prepared for terrorist events climbed the stadium's steel supports around 11:20 PM. During the intervention, the man allowed himself to be arrested without resistance and was led away in handcuffs. Video footage shows that he was masked and carrying a large backpack.

He just wanted good photos

According to police findings, he had no dangerous items with him. According to preliminary findings, the 21-year-old wanted to take photos from the stadium roof, as he had done at other locations in Germany, the police stated. He had photographic equipment in his backpack. At no point was there any danger to other people in the stadium.

Investigators suspect that the young man belongs to a group of roof climbers. Roof climbers scale tall buildings or radio masts without safety measures, filming and photographing themselves. Recently, they have also been climbing stadiums. Photos of a roof climber from a stadium in Stuttgart caused a stir on Instagram in February.

The daredevil from the Dortmund stadium is also not new to the authorities. Police reported that the man attempted to take photos of significant buildings from great heights in April 2022 in Herne and in May 2024 in Ulm. During his interrogation by the criminal police that evening, the man from Osnabrück stated that he just wanted to take good photos. According to Bild, during the Herne incident, he climbed a 300-meter power plant tower. He claimed to be a cameraman, taking spectacular photos which he then published on social media to gain many followers.

© blackyuuki (cc: by-nc)

Is it safe?

Police are currently unable to say how the man accessed the stadium. The incident once again raises questions about security during the European Championships. In the past few days, there have been several instances of fans entering the field to take photos with players. According to ZDF, the man entered the stadium without a ticket. Investigators suspect that the roof climber had help from a steward.

If you want to learn more about the Euro 2024 venues, you don’t have to climb roofs, just check out our video.