HAMBURG, Germany – A German airport has been closed since Saturday evening after a man with a child rammed a vehicle through a security gate.
According to Sky news report, the city of Hamburg is currently grappling with what appears to be a hostage situation at the center of a “family drama” that has persisted for over 14 hours.
There were reports that he had thrown incendiary devices out of the vehicle, resulting in two minor fires on the premises.
The Hamburg police posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter: “We are currently assuming a custody dispute is the background to the operation”, adding that the man’s wife had previously contacted them about a possible child abduction.
Also, Confirming the report on Sunday, an officially spokesperson for Hamburg Police, said a 35-year-old man smashed through security with his car at the airport Saturday and parked underneath an airplane, CNN report.
As of midnight Sunday, the driver was still in his car with his 4-year old daughter, the spokesperson added.
A “substantial amount of special forces” are on the ground trying to resolve the hostage situation, the spokesperson said.
After parking his car on the tarmac, acoustic shocks were heard, which could have been shots, the spokesperson said. Passengers of the aircraft were able to leave the plane unharmed via a gangway.