GERMAN police have said a hostage situation that shut down Hamburg airport is over, with a man arrested and his daughter safe.
Police previously advised travellers on Sunday not to use Hamburg airport where an armed man is reported to be holding his four-year-old daughter hostage.
The airport, in the northern part of the city, has been closed to passengers and flights since Saturday night when the man broke through a gate with his vehicle, threw Molotov cocktails onto the runway, and fired a weapon twice into the air, according to German news agency dpa.
The situation had been ongoing for more than 12 hours with German officials warning that the airport would remain closed for takeoffs and landing as negotiations with the 35-year-old continued.
Authorities believe the act had been sparked over a "custody dispute" and said the man’s wife had previously contacted them about a child abduction.
READ MORE: Conservative Party 'covered up for serial rapist MP', ex-chair claims
Police said the 35-year-old man had his four-year-old daughter inside the car after reportedly taking her from her mother by force in a possible custody battle.
A psychologist had been negotiating with the man for hours and there was no indication that other people could be harmed because the airport has been evacuated of all passengers, police said.
“We must currently assume that he is in possession of a live firearm and possibly also explosive devices of an unknown type,” police wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Our top priority is to protect the child. According to our current knowledge, the child is physically well,” they added.
The mother of the abducted girl arrived at the airport on Sunday and was receiving psychological support, German news agency dpa reported.
“The mother naturally wants to get to her child as quickly as possible,” Malte Stueben, the head of the German Red Cross crisis intervention team in Hamburg, told dpa.
A paediatrician also arrived at the airport to look after the girl once the hostage-taking is over, the news agency reported.
Hundreds of people whose flights could not depart on Saturday night because of the situation were put up at hotels nearby.
Arriving planes were either re-routed to other German airports or cancelled.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here