An 18-hour hostage situation at the Hamburg Airport ended after police finally were able to arrest a Turkish-speaking man, who had allegedly kidnapped his four-year-old daughter and attempted to flee the country on a flight to Turkey.
Following lengthy negotiations with police, a 35-year-old man identified as “Saleem E.” by the Bild newspaper, surrendered to police and released his daughter, whom he held hostage in a car after breaking through a barrier onto the tarmac of the airport in Hamburg, Germany, causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the evacuation of over 3,200 passengers.
Saleem, who reportedly threw at least two flaming Molotov cocktails from his car and fired gunshots into the air, is believed to have kidnapped his daughter Aslihan from her mother following a custody dispute with his ex-wife.
A Turkish Airlines plane is parked on the apron of the closed Hamburg airport. Behind the plane is a car in which the suspected hostage-taker is said to be sitting with his child. An armed man is holding his four-year-old daughter at the airport. Photo: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa (Photo by Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
During negotiations with the police, the man had reportedly demanded that he be allowed to fly to Turkey with his daughter. While the negotiations were conducted in the Turkish language, it is still unclear as to whether Saleem was from Turkey or a German-born member of the large Turkish-heritage diaspora population in the country.
Following his surrender, the Hamburg Police wrote: “The suspect had left the car with his daughter. The man was arrested by the emergency services without resistance. The child appears to be unharmed.”
Police spokeswoman Sandra Levgrün added: “We are now checking to see whether there are possible explosive devices in the car.”
Although the incident is not being treated as an act of terrorism, some said that it highlighted the weakness of security at likely targets such as airports.
German Police Union Vice President Heiko Teggatz told the Welt newspaper: “It is difficult to convey that Christmas markets, for example, are secured with concrete barricades, and our airports, as high-security areas, are neglected by operators.”
Aviation expert Heinrich Großbongardt added: “Hamburg Airport is not safe – and neither are other airports in Germany. Airports have been known as preferred targets for terrorists for decades. There are planes with tens of thousands of litres of kerosene in their stomachs and hundreds of passengers on board.”
Großbongardt said that the incident highlighted how operators at the airport and security authorities have been “incredibly naive” to the potential terror threat.
Police vehicles and ambulances at the airport. Hamburg Airport has been closed after a vehicle entered the premises. Photo: Jonas Walzberg/dpa (Photo by Jonas Walzberg/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The incident reportedly impacted up to 34,500 passengers, with over 300 flights being cancelled or redirected. It is still unclear when the airport will resume flights.
The head of communications at Hamburg Airport Katja Bromm said: “The police action is over. Preparations are underway to resume flight operations as quickly as possible. We are in close coordination with the security forces as to when the access roads and terminals will be reopened.
“However, significant cancellations and delays continue to occur today. Please monitor your flight status and contact your airline if necessary.”