incident at the airport
Safety margin: Man manages to hug Scholz
Chancellor Olaf Scholz was not injured in the incident. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Disgrace for the security service: A driver smuggled himself into Olaf Scholz’s convoy and stormed towards him on the tarmac. The chancellery speaks of a “surprisingly intimate embrace”.
A driver joined the convoy of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in his private car without authorization and hugged him after getting out without the bodyguards intervening in time. This is reported by the “Bild” newspaper.
A government spokesman said on request: “I can essentially confirm the report.” A spokeswoman for the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) told the newspaper: “No one was injured. The person was arrested by the Federal Police at Frankfurt Airport without resistance.” A statement from the federal police was not immediately available.
According to the report, the incident occurred after Scholz was driven to the airport from the European Central Bank’s Frankfurt headquarters. The man’s car was therefore able to pass the security barrier of the airport together with the Chancellor’s convoy – despite the license plate not being registered. As the Chancellor exited his limousine on the tarmac, the driver of the car rushed up to Scholz, shook his hand and hugged him.
“Not a Big Incident”
Scholz let it happen, the newspaper described. It was only at this moment that the BKA bodyguards and police officers became aware of the potentially dangerous situation and arrested the man.
“Bild” quoted chancellor’s office circles as saying: “For Olaf Scholz, it wasn’t a major incident in the specific situation, just a surprisingly warm hug. Looking back, it turns out what could have happened there.” Scholz’s BKA team admitted internally that such a situation should not occur again.