Hostage situation at Hamburg Airport over, child safe, say German police

The hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ended on Sunday afternoon, around 18 hours after a man drove his vehicle through the gates of the airport with his 4-year-old daughter inside, authorities said.

The man was arrested and the girl appears to be unharmed. Hamburg police tweeted that “the hostage situation is over. The suspect has left the car with his daughter. ... The child appears to be unharmed.” Police also said that “the man was arrested by the emergency services without resistance.”

Earlier, German police had advised travellers not to use Hamburg airport due to the hostage situation.

An armed man had broken through a gate with his vehicle and fired twice into the air with a weapon, federal police said. They also said that the man’s wife had previously contacted them about a possible child abduction.

The airport in the northern part of the city had been closed to passengers and flights cancelled since Saturday (November 4) night. Police said the 35-year-old man had his 4-year-old daughter inside the car whom he had reportedly taken by force from the mother in a possible custody battle.

A psychologist was also roped in to negotiate with the man. According to a report carried by The Guardian, the man fired two shots in the air and threw out two burning bottles, even while he drove his car through the security area onto the tarmac at about 8 on Saturday (November 4) morning. At least two individuals, including a child, were spotted in the car, the police spokesperson said.

The “hostage situation” arose out of a custody dispute, the police said, as the wife of the gunman had alerted them by making an emergency call about the abduction of her child.

The authorities had put on hold all arrivals and departures from the airport, even as the police cordoned off a large area. According to local media reports, the hostage situation had affected 3,200 travellers.

(With agency inputs)