Police believe custody dispute behind Hamburg Airport hostage drama

HAMBURG - Police in the German city of Hamburg believe that a custody dispute may be the reason for the violent intrusion of an armed man onto the apron of Hamburg Airport.

Earlier in the day, media reported that Hamburg's international airport was closed to all arriving and departing flights after a gunman rammed the security barrier and drove onto the airport ramp, firing two shots in the air.

According to the information available so far, the child that the man had with him had been staying with the mother on Saturday. Police say they believe that the father "took the child away" from the mother, possibly forcibly, before driving to Hamburg and onto the airport tarmac, a police spokeswoman said on Saturday evening when asked about the incident, reported German news agency (dpa).

A special police task force and police psychologist were at the scene. The man, believed to be 35 years old according to the police, reportedly had a four-year-old child in the car. Hamburg Airport has been completely evacuated. - BERNAMA-dpa