Hostage situation over after 18 hours in Hamburg Airport with suspect arrested, police say

The hostage situation at the Hamburg Airport ended Sunday afternoon and the suspect is in custody, officials said, about 18 hours after a man drove his vehicle through the airport gates with his 4-year-old daughter, who appears to be unharmed.

"The hostage situation is over. The suspect got out of the car with his daughter," Hamburg police posted on X, formerly Twitter, as translated. "The man was arrested by the emergency services without resistance.

The child appears to be unharmed."

After the police announcement, the Hamburg Airport said on X that it is preparing to resume flights as quickly as possible and it is coordinating with law enforcement about when terminals will be reopened. 

The situation unfolded Saturday night when police said a man with a gun and potentially explosives drove through the airport gate and fired twice into the air and threw burning bottles from his vehicle, according to the BBC.

Officials believe the situation started as the result of a "custody dispute" because he did not agree with the custody agreement and wanted to take the child to Turkey. 

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