International

Germany: Man Shot Fire Into Air Over Custody Dispute With Wife At Hamburg Airport, Causing Flights To Be Cancelled

The accused was in a vehicle with two children reportedly and broke through security by entering the tarmac on Saturday night. The wife of the accused informed the police of a possible child abduction against him before the incident happened.

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The airport in the northern German city of Hamburg experienced a sudden and dramatic turn of events on Saturday night. Flights were cancelled and the airport was closed to passengers after a vehicle broke through security and entered the premises.

According to reports by AP, a heavily armed man forcibly breached the airport's security, driving his vehicle through a gate and firing shots into the air. Adding to the intensity of the situation, the man's wife had previously reached out to the police, expressing concerns about a possible child abduction.

Local German media outlets provided additional details, revealing that the man had two children in his car as he stormed into the airport. This prompted a swift and substantial response from law enforcement, with a significant number of officers from both state and federal police agencies converging on the scene and its vicinity.

The incident led to a complete halt in airport operations, with terminals being evacuated due to what authorities described as a "hostage situation," believed to be stemming from a contentious custody dispute. The chaos commenced at approximately 8 pm (0600 GMT) when the armed individual breached the airport's security perimeter, discharging rounds into the air and flinging two burning bottles out of his vehicle.