The cops believe that the hostage situation likely involves a custody battle.
Traffic at the Hamburg airport in Germany is still restricted due to a hostage situation as the standoff continues even after 12 hours.
The Hamburg police, in its latest update, said the operational situation continues and traffic measures around the airport are still required, adding that entering the airport is still not possible.
Update 08:35 Uhr
Die Verhandlungen werden fortgesetzt. Die Einsatzlage dauert an.
➡️Verkehrsmaßnahmen um den @HamburgAirport sind weiterhin erforderlich
➡️Betreten des Flughafens ist nicht möglich
➡️ Sammelstelle für Medienvertreter weiterhin am Terminal Tango#Hamburg…— Polizei Hamburg (@PolizeiHamburg) November 5, 2023
At around 2 am (IST) today, a gunman rammed his car through the security gates of the Hamburg airport, firing two shots in the air and flinging two burning bottles out of the vehicle, a police spokesman said.
The police said two individuals are inside the car – A 35-year-old man and a 4-year-old girl and the vehicle was parked under a plane.
The cops believe that the hostage situation likely involves a custody battle. Police said the girl’s mother earlier told them the father had been in contact with her.
The wife of the driver had placed an emergency call alerting police to the abduction of her child, the spokesman added.
According to NDR, a Germany-based news portal, the girl was staying with her mother in Stage. Yesterday, the 35-year-old man from Buxtehude “forcibly snatched” the woman’s daughter.
A Turkish Airlines plane along with aircraft from other airlines have been evacuated, DW reported. Authorities have cleared the terminal buildings and over 3,000 passengers were affected after over 60 flights were cancelled today due to the ongoing standoff.
The Hamburg police earlier said a large contingent of emergency services was present at the airport, adding that psychologists as well as officers specialised in negotiations were on site and that they were in contact with the individual in the vehicle.
With inputs from AFP, Reuters