Hamburg - On Saturday night, a 35-year-old man breached a security barrier, driving onto the airport tarmac with his four-year-old daughter in the car and parking beneath an aircraft. He eventually surrendered to the authorities without offering any resistance, as reported by the police, and was subsequently arrested.
A statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) reassured that "The child appears to be unharmed." The incident resulted in disruptions to several flights departing and arriving at the airport. While operations have since resumed, significant delays remain in place. The event unfolded around 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) when the individual drove his car onto the airport's apron, the designated area for aircraft parking.
According to the police, the man discharged his weapon into the air twice and also threw incendiary devices from the vehicle, although it was unclear whether he possessed explosives. It was later clarified that he halted his vehicle near a commercial flight with passengers on board that was preparing to take off, and all passengers were safely evacuated. Reports from local media indicate that he parked beneath a Turkish Airlines plane. Due to the disruption, hundreds of other travelers waiting for their flights at the airport had to be accommodated in hotels.
Hamburg's police spokeswoman, Sandra Levgruen, mentioned on Sunday that the man disagreed with some decisions regarding custody arrangements made by the authorities and desired to travel to Turkey with his child. She stated, "He speaks about his life as if it were in pieces," in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF. Authorities later explained that the man was experiencing an "exceptional psychological situation" resulting from disputes over custody with his ex-wife.
Following an argument, he took their daughter, leading the child's mother to alert emergency services and file a complaint of suspected child abduction. This was not the first time the man, a Turkish citizen, faced allegations of kidnapping his daughter. He was previously investigated after traveling to Turkey with her without permission. The mother later returned the child to Germany.
Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher expressed his empathy, saying, "I extend my best wishes to the mother, the child, and their family for the strength to overcome this distressing experience" on X after the conclusion of the hostage situation. The airport announced that it is working diligently to restore normal operations as swiftly as possible. Initially, a total of 286 flights with approximately 34,500 passengers had been scheduled for Sunday.