Air traffic - Security at Hamburg Airport tightened after hostage-taking
Following the hostage-taking at Hamburg Airport, security precautions at the airport are being tightened - and standards are also to be reviewed throughout Germany. Among other things, massive folding gates and hydraulically retractable bollards at the four active entrances and exits are to prevent unauthorized access to the airfield in Hamburg in future, 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 additionally reinforced with concrete bollards connected by steel cables. In total, a "seven-figure euro amount" is to be invested.
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 Matthias Tresp, head of the Hamburg security police, 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. "Any access option becomes difficult when you're talking about bombs," he said.
The perpetrator then communicated "very much and very openly" with the police via cell phone. "Our primary goal was to calm the situation through constant negotiations," said the incident commander, describing the situation. After 19 hours of negotiations, the concept worked. "At 2.30 p.m., we were finally able to get him to get out of the car with his daughter."
The background to the incident 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 for Turkey. He has been in custody since the crime.
In addition to Eggenschwiler and Tresp, 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, as well as Hamburg's new police commissioner Falk Schnabel also gave evidence to the committee. Everyone was happy that the hostage-taking was ended without bloodshed.
"It is thanks to the efforts of all the forces involved that this girl could be rescued unharmed," said Rieckhof. The airport is "legally obliged to protect itself against unauthorized intrusion". Compliance was monitored by the National Quality Control Center - most recently at the end of August/beginning of September - "exactly four weeks before the breakthrough took place", he said. "Although the security measures were complied with, fully, it was still possible."
"Alerting, communication and emergency plans worked well," summarized Eggenschwiler. The airport was evacuated immediately and after the hostage-taking ended, flight operations were resumed within three hours. However, the incident had made it clear that security standards had to be constantly reassessed, he said.
According to Schuster, following the incident, the Conference of Interior Ministers called on the federal government to examine nationwide regulations to prevent intrusions into airport premises in future and requested that the legal situation be amended. "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.
Representatives of the opposition reminded the committee that this was not the first time that unauthorized persons had been able to gain access to the airfield: Ten members of the Last Generation group had cut open the fence on July 13 and ridden bicycles towards the airfield. According to the federal police, four of them had stuck to the access roads near the runways. Air traffic also had to be suspended for hours at that time.
Police statement dated 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 as part of the tightened security precautions following the hostage-taking incident.
- Matthias Tresp, head of the Hamburg security police, provided details about the hostage-taker's actions, including firing three shots, throwing incendiary devices, and threatening with a bomb during the hostage situation.
- The hostage-taker communicated frequently and openly with the police via his cell phone during the 19-hour standoff, allowing for constant negotiations to calm the situation.
- Hamburg's new police commissioner Falk Schnabel and other officials testified before the Interior and Economics Committees of the Hamburg Parliament, expressing relief that the hostage-taking ended without violence.
- Following the incident, the Conference of Interior Ministers called on the federal government to examine nationwide regulations to prevent intrusions into airport premises and requested a guideline from the federal government on the desired security level for future.
- A spokesperson for the economic authority responsible for the airport announced that security measures were being fully complied with before the hostage-taking, but the incident highlighted the need for constant reassessment of security standards.
- In July 2023, ten members of the Last Generation group were able to gain unauthorized access to Hamburg Airport's airfield, cutting open the fence and riding bicycles towards the area, causing air traffic disruptions for hours.
Source: www.stern.de
