Hamburg - Airport hostage-taker appeals against verdict
The judgment against the Hamburg airport hostage-taker is not legally binding yet. The defendant filed for revision, according to the court press office. The Federal Court of Justice will now deal with the case. The Hamburg Regional Court sentenced the 35-year-old to twelve years in prison on the previous Wednesday. The Chamber found him guilty of kidnapping in conjunction with the deprivation of custody, bodily harm, and multiple violations of the Arms Act.
Shots and bomb threats at the airport
In the evening of November 4th of the previous year, the defendant kidnapped his daughter from his ex-wife's apartment in the Lower Saxony town of Stade. Three months earlier, a court had granted sole custody to the mother. With the four-year-old in the car, the 35-year-old drove to the airport. At a gate near the terminals, he broke through three barriers and advanced as far as the airport perimeter. There, he threw two Molotov cocktails from the car, which ignited in the midst of ongoing air traffic. The defendant shot three times into the air with a pistol. The defendant demanded that he and the child be flown to Turkey and threatened to blow himself and the child up. He gave up only after more than 18 hours. A supposed explosive vest later turned out to be a decoy.
Sentence in line with the prosecution's demand
During the pronouncement of the judgment, the defendant protested loudly against the guilty verdict and could only be calmed down with great effort by the judge. The Chamber's sentence corresponded to the demand of the prosecution. The defense had not specifically requested a sentence.
- The revision of the Hamburg District Court's initial ruling in the hostage-taking case will be evaluated by the Federal Court of Justice in Germany.
- The hostage-taker, sentenced to twelve years in prison by the Hamburg Regional Court, cited the incident at Hamburg Airport as part of his crimes.
- The incident involved a car entering restricted air traffic areas at Hamburg Airport and the perpetrator threatening bodily harm and bomb threats.
- The Hamburg District Court's binding judgment in the hostage-taking case at Hamburg Airport has not yet been issued, postponing any legal consequences.
- The hostage-taker, originally from Lower Saxony, initiated the court processes at the Hamburg District Court following his release from a previous prison term.
- The lower court's sentence for the hostage-taking incident, which occurred at Hamburg Airport, has yet to receive an affirmation or alteration by the Federal Court of Justice in Germany.
