Europe 1 with AFP 15:22 p.m., November 05, 2023

German police announced on Sunday that they had put an end to the hostage-taking on the tarmac of Hamburg airport by arresting the man who had been holding his 4-year-old daughter in a car there since Saturday night.

"The hostage-taking is over, the man left the car with his daughter and was arrested without resistance by the police," the local police said on X (ex-Twitter), adding that the child "seems to be in good health".

The hostage-taking at Hamburg airport, linked to a dispute with the mother over custody of the girl, began at around 20 p.m. local time (19 GMT) on Saturday night.

Inter

The 35-year-old man held his 18-year-old daughter for about 4 hours in a car parked at the foot of a Turkish Airlines airliner, after forcing his way into the airport by firing shots.

He wanted to try to leave for Turkey with his daughter, whom he had previously abducted from his wife's home. German police conducted lengthy negotiations throughout the night and part of the day on Sunday to convince the father, who was armed and suspected of possessing explosives, to surrender.

Air traffic at Hamburg Airport was suspended on Saturday evening and was expected to remain so on Sunday until further notice. The police had mobilized psychologists and negotiating teams on the spot, in addition to intervention units.