Hamburg airport closed as police deal with ‘hostage situation’

The airport in the northern German city of Hamburg was closed to passengers after a man with a child rammed a vehicle through a security gate.

The suspect allegedly shot the weapon twice in the air, German newspaper Die Welt said, citing a police spokesperson.

Police also said that the man’s wife had contacted them earlier about a possible child abduction.

“We are currently assuming a static hostage situation,” Hamburg police wrote on X, previously known as Twitter.

In the meantime, a police spokesman confirmed that there was a 4-year-old girl in the man’s car, which was parked under an airplane. 

Police added later that they believe “a custody dispute is behind this operation.”

According to federal police spokesman Thomas Gerbert, a large number of state and federal police officers were on the scene._Agencies