Overview
- Cologne police on Monday published photos and a description under a judge’s order in the April 3, 2024 BayArena case after a Fortuna Düsseldorf supporter allegedly attacked officers and threw an object at a stadium gate.
- The Cologne suspect is wanted for attempted dangerous bodily harm, severe breach of the peace, attack on enforcement officers and violating the anti-masking rule, and investigators ask witnesses to call Polizeiinspektion 7 at 0221 229-0 or email poststelle.koeln@polizei.nrw.de.
- In a separate appeal, Illertissen police released an image and a description in connection with the August 16, 2025 assault that left a 48‑year‑old 1. FC Nürnberg fan with serious head and shoulder injuries who required surgery and long rehabilitation.
- Both public manhunts follow unsuccessful on-site searches and earlier witness appeals, and German courts can permit such photo releases when investigations have stalled to generate new leads.
- The twin actions highlight a recurring problem of fan violence at high-profile cup matches and could increase public pressure on clubs and police to improve crowd control and offender identification.