Citizenship - Security at Hamburg Airport tightened after hostage-taking
Following the hostage-taking at Hamburg Airport, security precautions at the airport are being tightened. Among other things, massive folding gates and hydraulically retractable bollards at the four active entrances and exits will prevent unauthorized access to the airfield, said airport boss Michael Eggenschwiler on Thursday at a joint hearing of the Interior and Economics Committees of the Hamburg Parliament.
The otherwise unused emergency gates would also be reinforced with concrete bollards connected with steel cables. In total, a "seven-figure euro amount" is to be invested.
State Councillors Andreas Rieckhof from the economic authority responsible for the airport and Thomas Schuster, who represented Andy Grote (SPD), Senator of the Interior, who was ill with coronavirus, also provided information to the committee. Hamburg's new police commissioner, Falk Schnabel, and Matthias Tresp, head of the security police and commander of the hostage-taking operation six weeks ago, also spoke. They all expressed their happiness that the hostage-taking had ended without bloodshed and that the child kidnapped by the perpetrator had been freed unharmed.
Although Hamburg Airport had complied with all legal security requirements, the incident had made it clear that the standards had to be reassessed time and again, said Eggenschwiler.
According to Schuster, following the incident, the Conference of Interior Ministers called on the federal government to examine nationwide regulations to prevent intrusions on airport premises in future. "The aim is to obtain a guideline from the federal government as to what level of security should be aimed for in future," said Rieckhof.
On November 4, a 35-year-old man in a rental car broke through a barrier consisting of three barriers at the airport and raced onto the airfield. His four-year-old daughter was also in the car. According to Tresp, the man fired three shots from a pistol, threw two incendiary devices and threatened with a bomb, which later turned out to be a dummy.
The background to the crime was a custody dispute: The man wanted to force his daughter, who had previously been abducted from his ex-wife's apartment in Stade (Lower Saxony), to leave the country for Turkey. He only gave up after 19 hours of negotiations with the police.
Police statement of 4.11.23 Agenda of the Committee on Internal Affairs
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- Michael Eggenschwiler, the airport boss, mentioned that massive folding gates and hydraulically retractable bollards will be installed at Hamburg Airport's entrances and exits due to the hostage-taking incident.
- The attempted hostage-taking at Hamburg Airport, which resulted in the implementation of enhanced security measures, also prompted the Conference of Interior Ministers to call for a review of nationwide regulations to prevent intrusions on airport premises.
- Contrary to popular belief, Hamburg Airport had adhered to all legal security requirements prior to the hostage-taking incident, but the incident underscored the need to reassess these standards regularly.
- The perpetrator of the hostage-taking incident, a 35-year-old man, used a rental car to force his way onto the airfield and threatened authorities with a gun and incendiary devices, ultimately surrendering after 19 hours of negotiations.
- Despite the recent hostage-taking incident at Hamburg Airport, citizens still travel through the airport, making safety precautions crucial for the wellbeing of the city's residents and travelers.
Source: www.stern.de
