Kidnapping in Denmark - Custody dispute escalates: Children of Hamburg steakhouse heiress Block are with their mother
The two children who temporarily disappeared after their father was attacked in southern Denmark are doing well, according to their mother. The children are with her, Christina Block, the daughter of Eugen Block, the founder of the Block House restaurant chain, said via a company spokeswoman on Tuesday. It remained unclear exactly where the children were. Danish police believe that the incident on New Year's Eve was related to a disagreement between the children's parents over custody.
"The children are fine. I ask for your understanding that I am not making any further statements at this time, primarily out of concern for the welfare of my children," the spokeswoman said in a statement.
The Hamburg public prosecutor's office had previously assumed that the children were in the care of their mother. "There are currently no concrete indications that the children are in danger," a spokeswoman for the authority said at midday.
Block grandson abducted on New Year's Eve
According to the Danish police, the father was attacked near a restaurant on New Year's Eve while watching the New Year's Eve fireworks with his two children in the town of Gråsten (Gravenstein). The two children, reportedly a boy aged 10 and a girl aged 13, were forced into a car. They are being investigated for assault and deprivation of liberty.
The perpetrators fled in two cars with German license plates. The two vehicles were found in Germany by the German police, the Danish police announced on Tuesday afternoon. They did not give any further details. Gråsten is located around 30 kilometers northeast of Flensburg. The "Bild" newspaper initially reported on the incident.
The Hamburg police stated that the facts of the case were known and were the subject of an ongoing investigation. "Further information cannot be provided at present due to the fact that the investigation is only just beginning," it said.
The father's representative for press law, lawyer Michael Philippi from the Hamburg law firm Unverzagt, told the German Press Agency: "In the current situation, our client will not comment for reasons of the children's safety."
The Block Group, which employs around 2,400 people, is best known for the Block House steakhouse chain and the five-star Grand Elysée Hotel in Hamburg.
Read also:
- Lifestyle 2023 from "Breathless" to cinnamon buns
- Unanimous decision: faster wolf culls possible
- New Year's Eve fireworks: What applies in other countries?
- Ban on New Year's Eve fireworks: no bangs here
Source: www.stern.de
