Hostage-taking at the airport: A night in the hotel lobby
Many passengers spent the night on Sunday in an airport hotel because of the hostage-taking at Hamburg Airport, which lasted more than 18 hours - but not everyone was able to sleep in rooms. In the lobby on Sunday, dozens of people were lying on the floor with blankets or sitting in armchairs or on chairs. Camp beds were set up in the corridor and in adjoining rooms.
Wrapped in a blue blanket, Johannes Cruse squatted on the floor and reported that when he checked in at around 8.25 p.m., the federal police were already standing at the counter. "They knew very well that the guy was still out there at that time and still let us out with everyone without giving us any information." In the hotel, passengers had been lying on the cold floor for hours and were only given blankets later.
Those who didn't sleep were looking for information about the crime on their cell phones on Sunday and trying to find out when it could continue. Power sockets were in great demand so that cell phones could be charged again and again. Those stranded were on the phone to relatives, while one family played a board game at a small table to distract themselves.
Around 200 people were accommodated in hotel rooms. Another 250 were cared for by the DRK, as Frank Kohlstädt, head of the DRK station at the airport, reported. Behind the check-in desk were employees of the DRK, the hotel and police officers. People kept coming to reception with numerous questions and concerns.
"We are only human. We are trying our best to make you happy," an announcement sounded. Many people were frustrated at not being able to reach their destination for the time being. There were occasional expressions of displeasure at not being able to get a hotel room.
Johannes Cruse, like many other stranded people, did not yet know what would happen next for him after the happy end to the hostage situation on Sunday afternoon. However, he no longer expected to get out of Hamburg that day.
After more than 18 hours, the hostage-taking on the airport apron came to an end in the early afternoon. A 35-year-old man had broken through a barrier at the gate to the apron with his car on Saturday evening, fired shots and threw incendiary devices - his four-year-old daughter was also in the car.
Passenger Ramon Hiemcke was satisfied with the outcome of the hostage situation. "I was overjoyed because we all made an effort to do our bit by calmly handling everything here, so that in the end this great result might come out of it and we, as the stranded people, were not disturbed." He slept in a camp bed. "I was also freezing, but I was happy to put up with that as long as there was peace and quiet, so to speak, and everything went off without panic."
Despite the conclusion of the hostage situation, some passengers, like Johannes Cruse, were still uncertain about their upcoming travel plans. Meanwhile, in the lobby, some individuals continued to monitor air traffic updates on their phones, hoping for resumed flights. The demand for power sockets remained high, necessary to keep devices charged for further communication.
Source: www.dpa.com
