German police have revealed the motive behind a fan’s decision to climb onto the roof of the Signal Iduna Park during Germany’s 2-0 win over Denmark in their last-16 clash at Euro 2024 on Saturday which led to an arrest being made.

Chaos was sparked after a masked man was seen making his way onto the roof after play was suspended in the first half due to a thunderstorm in the Dortmund area. 

Lightning strikes forced players off the pitch as fans took cover in the stands, but one supporter decided to use the moment as a chance to scale one of the grandstands. 

The man who acted alone was chased and held at gunpoint by police, and later detained by authorities before being ushered away from supporters.

The police have now spoke to the rule-breaker and revealed a very simple motive for his unsafe abscond that fortunately left nobody injured.

A 21-year-old man was arrested for the foray and told German police that he had climbed up onto the roof with photography equipment in a bid to get a picture of the weather.

Dortmund police confirmed in a statement posted on Sunday that the perpetrator had been questioned following his arrest and was revealed to be a photographer.

‘According to initial findings, the 21-year-old wanted to take photos on the roof of the stadium, as he had done elsewhere in Germany. He was carrying camera equipment in a backpack.

‘At no point was there any danger to other people in the stadium. The Dortmund police are currently ruling out a political motivation.

‘Since the police became aware of the situation in the stadium at 10:11 pm, they were able to observe the 21-year-old continuously and assess the situation at all times. He posed no danger. The police deployed their own forces, drones and a helicopter to ensure continuous observation.

‘The man finally followed the police’s instructions and returned to a walkway under the roof at 11:44 p.m. Special forces arrested him there, handcuffed him and searched him. The man was not carrying any dangerous objects with him.

‘Criminal proceedings are underway. During questioning by the criminal police on Sunday night, the man from Osnabruck stated that he only wanted to take ‘good photos,’ the statement continued.

‘He was released from police custody after the initial investigation was completed. The investigation is not yet complete.’

‘UEFA and the Dortmund police will follow up on this situation and investigate how the accused was able to enter the stadium unhindered and get onto the roof.

‘The Dortmund police are currently unable to provide any further information, including on how the man was able to get into the stadium and what consequences will be drawn from the incident.’

Footage originally captured by Mail Sport at the match showed the man walking along a beam high above those below in the stands, many of whom were shouting at him to come down. 

The man walked to the corner of the stadium’s roof as police sought to catch up with him.  The police drew their guns as they chased him down in the rafters, with the man eventually relenting at gunpoint. 

He was later handcuffed and unmasked by the police as fans were evacuated from the stadium in the immediate aftermath of the incident. 

Last week, UEFA issued a statement which said security at host stadiums was set to be tightened up in the wake of a number of pitch invasions which have blighted the tournament – including six during Portugal’s 3-0 rout of Turkey. 

German police were already on high alert ahead of the competition’s first match two weeks ago with particular vigilance regarding terrorism, travelling criminals, and violent hooligans. 

An article last month in German outlet BILD claimed that a total of 22,000 federal police will be deployed at borders, stadiums, public viewing areas, airports, railway stations and sensitive areas of the critical infrastructure every day.

There has also been a ban on police holiday for the duration of the tournament. 

Ahead of the incident, the stadium had been filled with jubilant home support celebrating Germany’s quarter-final qualification. 

Julian Nagelsmann’s side were forced to wait for their victory after the tie was suspended due to freak weather conditions including thunder and lightning, and escaped a scare at 0-0 after Denmark’s would-be opener was chalked off for offside. 

Minutes after VAR cancelled Joachim Andersen’s effort, the player was embroiled in a handball incident at the other end of the pitch, winning Germany a penalty which Kai Havertz put away, before Jamal Musiala doubled the host nation’s lead in the 68th minute.