Germany: Negations continue as airport hostage situation drags over 12 hours

Police at Hamburg Airport in Germany have been dealing with a hostage situation for over 12 hours now. A man drove through the airport security barrier, into the area where aircraft are usually parked. There were two individuals in the vehicle including one child.

The airport has been sealed by the police and negotiations are in place now. All flights at the airport have been suspended indefinitely.

According to media sources, the suspect shot his weapon in the air twice and also threw two burning bottles out of the vehicle.

Police on Hamburg airport hostage situation 

In its latest update, the police said that Negotiations are in play and the operation to resolve the crisis still continues. They also mentioned that traffic regulations around the airport are still required adding that entering the airport is impossible.\

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

The police believe that a custody dispute might be the background to this operation. A 35-year-old man and a 4-year-old girl are believed to be inside the vehicle.

Custody battle in play 

The girl’s mother had also called the police, alerting them about the abduction of her daughter. Media reports also allege that the man "forcibly snatched" the woman's daughter.

Following the sudden hostage situation at the Hamburg airport, the authorities cleared the terminal affecting over 3,000 passengers after over 60 flights were due to the ongoing standoff.

The Hamburg police had also earlier said that a large contingent of emergency services was present at the airport. Apart from this psychologists and officers specialised in negotiations are also on site.