Gate breached
Hostage taking at Hamburg Airport: Airport sees no failures in securing the area
A damaged barrier through which the man is said to have driven his car at the airport
© Jonas Walzberg / DPA
An armed man was able to get onto the apron of Hamburg Airport in his car. He has been holding his four-year-old daughter hostage there for hours. Despite the incidents, there were no failures to secure the site, said a spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman emphasized: “In order to ensure the safety of air traffic, in addition to structural measures, alarm chains have also been established that worked perfectly.” Flight operations were stopped immediately after unauthorized access and the perpetrator was located. “Further information on security-related details is not possible,” explained the spokeswoman.
Hamburg: 35-year-old broke through the airport gate
Because of a custody dispute, a 35-year-old armed man broke through barriers at the airport with his car on Saturday evening and drove onto the apron. He has been holding his four-year-old daughter hostage there for more than twelve hours. Last generation activists had already gained access to the tarmac in mid-July and paralyzed flight operations for hours.
According to the airport spokeswoman, the analysis of the incident with the Last Generation activists – they cut through the outer fence and then got onto the tarmac on bicycles – did not provide any new information. “There are no new requirements for critical infrastructure facilities yet,” said the spokeswoman. The airport is currently testing new camera and fence sensor systems. “In addition, the patrolling of the fence by security forces has been sustainably increased.”