Hamburg airport hostage situation that caused suspension of flights has ended, police say

A hostage situation that halted all flights to and from Hamburg Airport is now over, according to police in the northern German city.

A 35-year-old male suspect has now left his car with his 4-year-old daughter, Hamburg police said on X, formerly Twitter. He did not resist arrest and the girl is seemingly not injured, officers said.

The man had smashed through security with his vehicle at the airport Saturday and then parked underneath an airplane, a police spokesperson said earlier. As of midnight Sunday, the driver was still in his car with his daughter, the spokesperson added.

A “substantial amount of special forces” were on the ground trying to resolve the situation, the spokesperson said. The man’s wife had previously warned Hamburg-Stade police that her child was missing.

After parking his car on the tarmac, acoustic shocks were heard, which could have been shots, the spokesperson said. Passengers of the aircraft were able to leave the plane unharmed via a gangway.

The airport’s official website announced Saturday evening that it had grounded all take-offs and landings due to the police operation.

All flights remained halted as of Sunday morning local time, as the police attempted to “relieve” the hostage situation at the center of a “family drama,” according to a spokesperson.

Hamburg Police said in a post on social media on Sunday at 8.35 a.m. local time (2.35 a.m. ET) that officers police were continuing negotiations with the suspect.

Police also said they assumed the suspect was armed and “possibly” also had “explosive devices of an unknown type.”

The top priority was the child that is with the suspect, police said Sunday, adding they believed the child is physically well.