German police hold 300 in clashes

German police hold 300 in clashes

Police had earlier arrested Poles identified by Polish officers

Police have arrested 300 people amid clashes in Dortmund ahead of the Germany-Poland World Cup match.

The violence started when police tried to arrest a number of fans, who then attacked officers and began fighting among themselves, police said.

Officers were then seen putting on body armour as tens of thousands of fans left the stadium after the game.

Police had earlier arrested up to 60 suspected Polish troublemakers, with the help of Polish officers.

'Bottles thrown'

German police spokeswoman, Inspector Saskia Schneider, told the BBC officers were initially sent to the Alter Markt to deal with troublemakers.

"It started when the police were about to arrest a number of violent hooligans in the city centre. This situation led to attacks on the police," she said.

"Then it spilled over and different fan groups started attacking each other."

About 120 fans threw bottles and chairs at police.

Officers were then seen chasing some fans through the main square, the Hansa-Platz.

Police have not given a breakdown of the arrests yet, but said the nationalities were mixed.

Earlier, liaison between German and Polish officers had led to about 60 arrests.

Polish police captain, Rafal Wasaik, said: "We have arrested people who we believed could cause trouble. They were recognised by my Polish colleagues."

About 30,000 Poles were expected in Dortmund for the game.