Hamburg airport remains closed as police deal with ‘hostage situation’

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[1/5]Police secure the area after a man drove through a barrier onto the grounds of the city’s airport with a child in his car in Hamburg, Germany, November 5, 2023. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer Acquire Licensing Rights

FRANKFURT, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Hamburg airport remained closed on Sunday, authorities said, as police dealt with a hostage situation they say likely involves a custody dispute.

The airport closed for all takeoffs and landings on Saturday evening after police arrived in large numbers on the scene to deal with a man who drove through a barrier onto the grounds of the airport with a child.

The car with the 35-year-old man and 4-year-old girl was parked under a plane, a police spokesperson said.

“The operation continues. Our negotiators are in contact with the person in the car,” the police posted on Sunday on the social media platform X.

Police were communicating through a translator in Turkish, a spokesperson said.

Police said the child’s mother had told them the father had been in contact with her.

Police would not confirm their earlier statements that the man was armed and had fired shots.

Hamburg airport authorities said that 286 flights with around 34,500 passengers had been scheduled for Sunday.

Reporting by Joern Poltz, Tom Sims, and Tanya Wood
Editing by Daniel Wallis, William Mallard and David Evans

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