‘Hostage situation’: gunman with child in car shuts down airport in Hamburg, Germany

In the German city of Hamburg, an armed man has created a hostage situation at the airport with his four-year-old daughter. The man drove his vehicle onto the airport grounds, causing the police to engage in negotiations with him. The incident began on Saturday evening when the man breached a gate with his vehicle and entered the airport. He discharged his firearm twice into the air, prompting the police to advise travellers to avoid Hamburg airport on Sunday. The airport's terminal buildings and several aircraft were evacuated, and the airport remained closed on Sunday morning. As of now, there are no reports of injuries, including the man and his daughter. The police speculate that a custody dispute might be the motive behind this violent intrusion.

The child had been with her mother on Saturday. The police believe that the father, estimated to be 35 years old, took his daughter from her mother, possibly by force, before driving to the airport. A special police task force and a police psychologist are on the scene. The man's wife, who was reportedly in the city of Stade near Hamburg at the time, had previously alerted the state police about a potential child abduction. She has since travelled to Hamburg, close to the airport. The police have been negotiating with the man throughout the night after establishing initial contact late on Saturday. The negotiations are being conducted in Turkish. The police are focusing on a negotiated resolution and view the man's willingness to engage in dialogue as a positive sign.

As of 5am on Sunday, there was still no breakthrough. A heavy police presence remains at the scene. Flight operations have been indefinitely suspended due to the hostage situation, the airport announced early on Sunday. This will result in flight cancellations and delays throughout the day. The police are advising passengers to refrain from travelling to the airport for the time being. On Saturday evening, the evacuations affected 3,200 people. In the past, the same airport was closed due to a threat on a flight from Tehran to Hamburg. In July, climate activists from the Last Generation group disrupted the airport for several hours, affecting thousands of passengers, including many families with children.