2023-11-05 06:53:00
Hamburg airport suspended its activities following the arrival of an armed man with a minor as a hostage. (Europa Press/Jonas Gehring)
An armed man caused an emergency situation at the airport in Hamburg, Germany, by breaking into the facilities with a vehicle and a minor as a hostage, in an incident that authorities link to a family conflict over custody of the girl.
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The event forced the closure of the airfield and the suspension of all air operations.
The alleged aggressor, a 35-year-old man, entered the airport complex around 8:00 p.m. local time, reaching the landing strip where he fired shots and threw two incendiary devices, similar to Molotov cocktails, which were put out by the emergency services. firefighters, according to a spokeswoman for the Federal Police informed the newspaper Welt.
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The man’s partner, a resident of Stade, a town near Hamburg, had previously alerted security forces regarding a possible abduction of the minor, the spokeswoman said, which led authorities to consider the event as a case of kidnapping.
“Everything indicates that we are facing an episode derived from a custody dispute,” the Hamburg Police communicated through its profile on the social network X.
Passengers who were aboard planes on the tarmac were evacuated and accommodated in a nearby hotel. (REUTERS/Leonhard Simon)
The Police representative highlighted that there is fluid communication with the perpetrator and expressed her confidence in reaching a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
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“It is an extremely positive sign,” stressed the spokesperson, who pointed out that a specialized police intervention team and psychologists were deployed to address the situation.
Passengers who were aboard planes on the tarmac were evacuated and accommodated in a nearby hotel. So far, no injuries have been reported, neither among the hostages nor the person responsible for the act.
The airport’s website announced that, due to the actions of the Federal Police, the possibility of taking off and landing was temporarily suspended.
The airport spokeswoman added that, under normal circumstances, six takeoffs would have taken place following the official closure of the facilities at 8:24 p.m. and 21 landings were expected. The incident affected approximately 3,200 passengers.
The airport’s website announced that, due to the actions of the Federal Police, the possibility of taking off and landing was temporarily suspended. (Europa Press)
Users who were evacuated from their flights recounted moments of panic and confusion. A passenger, who was planning to travel to Mallorca, shared with the German Press Agency that she initially observed fire and assumed it would be extinguished without further consequences.
However, the situation escalated when he heard gunshots, which he described as a terrifying experience.
Another traveler bound for the Balearic island reported that during the evacuation she might only take her handbag with her. Although those present remained calm, fear was palpable given the uncertainty of the events.
(With information from Europa Press)
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