Hamburg, November 05 2023, The Europe Today: A man who used his car to break into the secure area of the Hamburg airport was arrested on Sunday, police said, ending an 18-hour hostage situation which brought the airport to a standstill.
The suspect is believed to have had his young daughter in the car with him and was keeping the child hostage. Police said the four-year-old child was unharmed.
“The hostage-taking has ended, the man has left his car with his daughter and been taken for questioning by security forces without resistance,” local police said.
Air traffic was suspended until further notice, with approaches to the airport blocked, according to airport officials.
Hamburg airport said on Sunday afternoon that preparations were underway to resume flights as soon as possible
“We are in close consultation with the security forces as to when the access roads and terminals will be reopened,” the airport said.
A spokesperson for Hamburg airport said security measures were effective and that criminals willing to use force would be able to gain access to the airport.
“To ensure the safety of air traffic, apart from structural measures, alarm chains have been set up that worked faultlessly,” the spokeswoman told the DPA news agency. “It is not possible to provide greater detail on the security aspects.”