Urgent situation arises. - Man uses Hamburg airport as a short route.
A few months following an intruder at the Hamburg airport, another man unlawfully entered the airport's premises. Law enforcement officials noticed the 29-year-old man at a gate on a Sunday as described by a police representative the next day. There was no noticeable damage to the fence, and the trespasser lacked any unique equipment. The speedy detection of the intruder was credited to Inspector Luck, as per the spokesperson.
Helicopter-assisted search
There was no risk to air travel. The airport's activities were briefly stopped for roughly 20 minutes, since authorities couldn't promptly rule out other possible intruders. Police helicopters were also employed in the search. In the airport's words, a flight from Stuttgart to Hannover was rerouted due to the interruption. The takeoff of a flight from Hamburg and another flight were canceled.
Intruder aimed to cut across the airport's perimeter fence
The intruder's goal was cutting across the airport's perimeter fence, as outlined by the Federal Police. Authorities filed a criminal charge for trespassing. The trespasser is required to cover the police's expenses too. The initial cost was initially undecided. The airport might file a damage claim. The investigation against the man was handed over to Hamburg Police's Airport Investigation Unit.
Testing of enhanced fence sensorics ongoing
Nearly eleven months after climate activists from "Last Generation" group sliced across the fence at the Hamburg airport, the airport is still experimenting with new fence sensorics, the airport spokesperson stated. Along the airport's 18-kilometer fence, several test areas exist. The barbed wire on the fence is also being strengthened. On July 13, 2023, members of the "Last Generation" group had snipped through the fence, navigated toward the runway using borrowed tractors, and glued themselves to several access roads. The flight operations were halted for three and a half hours.
Hostage-taker broke through barriers seconds after entry
One year prior, a 35-year-old man forcibly abducted his four-year-old daughter from his ex-wife's home in Stade, and swiftly drove to the airport grounds with the child in the car. Within seconds, he breached three barriers at an exit at the North Gate. This was confirmed by video recordings shown in court during the hostage-taker's trial in May. A police officer testifying in court stated the barriers had potential vulnerabilities to allow for the quick entrance of emergency vehicles.
The hostage-taker fired two firecrackers onto the runway, which the fire department extinguished. He discharged at minimum three rounds into the air and insisted a plane transport him and his daughter to Turkey. The 35-year-old threatened to detonate an explosives belt. It was a fake device. The crime's backdrop was a longstanding custody battle.
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- The Federal Police in Stuttgart were alerted about the incident at Hamburg Airport and dispatched additional resources to assist in the situation.
- During the search, emergency medical services were also present at Hamburg Airport, ready to respond to any emergencies that may arise due to the intruder's actions.
- The Abbreviation for Hamburg Airport is HAM, and on the day of the incident, this particular flight from HAM to Hanover was rerouted.
- The police in Hanover were informed about the incident at Hamburg Airport and were prepared to assist in the investigation if needed.
- Despite the trespasser's attempts, the enhanced fence sensorics installed at Hamburg Airport proved effective in detecting the intrusion and preventing any major security breach.
- Following the incident, there were calls for further investments in security measures at airports across Germany, including Stuttgart, to prevent similar emergencies in the future.
