German airport closed after armed driver breaches gate, fires gun

The airport in the northern German city of Hamburg was closed to passengers, and flights were canceled Saturday night after a vehicle broke through security and entered the premises, German news agency dpa reported, prompting an hours-long standoff that dragged into Sunday morning. 

Federal police said an armed man had broken through a gate with his vehicle and fired twice into the air with a weapon. Police said later that the 35-year-old man had a 4-year-old child inside the car and that they assumed he was the father and had taken the child by force from the mother in a possible custody battle.

Hamburg police said negotiators had made contact with the suspect. Police also said that a psychologist was talking with the man and that there was no indication other people could be harmed since all passengers had evacuated the airport.

Police said a major operation was taking place on the airport's tarmac. The situation was still active as of early Sunday morning. 

Federal police spokesman Thomas Gerbert told dpa that a large number of officers from state and federal police were on site and in the vicinity of the vehicle.

In:
• Hamburg
• Germany