Latest update:
The airport in the northern German city of Hamburg has been closed since Saturday evening and all air traffic has been halted, after a man broke through the gate of Helmut Schmidt Airport with his car and has refused to leave ever since. The man has his four-year-old daughter in the car with him. The police say they suspect a custody dispute.
According to German media, the suspect is a 35-year-old man of Turkish origin who is demanding a flight to Turkey for him and his daughter. The mother of the four-year-old girl reportedly previously warned the police about a possible kidnapping of the child, reports DPA news agency.
According to German authorities, the girl in the car appears to be unharmed so far. The man may have explosives and is believed to be carrying a firearm. “Our top priority is the protection of the child,” it said in an update of the police.
Negotiations
The man broke through the fence with his car around 8 p.m. and parked his car on the airport platform where the planes are located. According to German media, he then shot twice in the air and threw two burning bottles from the car. The airport was immediately closed and both terminals evacuated.
The Hamburg police say in a statement on X having negotiated with the man all night. A police spokesperson told the German newspaper Der Spiegel that it is a good sign that negotiations are taking place. “He turned to us. He wants to talk to us and we see that as a very positive sign.”