In the northern German city of Hamburg, authorities are currently managing a suspected hostage situation at the airport, which unfolded after a man breached a security barrier and drove onto the tarmac. Law enforcement officials have reported that there are at least two individuals inside the vehicle, one of them being a child.
Air traffic at Hamburg airport remained blocked on Sunday by an apparent hostage situation on the tarmac, after the alleged kidnapping of a child by his father as part of a family dispute, according to local authorities.
“The police operation continues, air traffic remains suspended until further notice,” the management of the airport in northern Germany wrote on X – formerly Twitter.
“We have mobilised police psychologists and we are currently speaking with the perpetrator, we are banking on a negotiated solution,” police spokesperson Sandra Levgrün told the regional channel public television NDR.
She referred to it as a “very positive sign” that the father had maintained communication with the authorities for an extended period. In the northern
On Saturday evening, at approximately 8:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT), the individual behind the wheel drove his vehicle through an airport gate and onto the tarmac. He discharged two shots into the air and threw two incendiary devices, as reported by a police spokesperson.
Authorities have indicated that the incident is believed to stem from a “child custody dispute.”
According to official sources, a man aged 35, of Turkish nationality, and a 4-year-old girl are confined inside the vehicle. Negotiations are reportedly being conducted in Turkish.
Reports suggest that the driver’s wife alerted the police regarding the child’s abduction.
On Saturday evening, 17 flights scheduled to land in Hamburg, carrying a total of 3,200 passengers, were forced to divert. On Sunday, 286 flights are initially scheduled, transporting 34,500 passengers, but it’s improbable that any will be able to land until the situation is resolved.