Hamburg airport is closed after armed man ‘rammed car through gate with two children inside before shooting into the air twice’

Hamburg airport is closed after a gunman rammed a vehicle through a security gate with two children inside before firing a gun into the air, police said.

The armed man drove a car through an airport barrier around 8 p.m. local time (7 p.m. GMT) and fired a weapon twice, federal police said.

After firing the shots, the man threw two flaming bottles from the vehicle, she added.

The man’s wife had called the police about a possible child abduction. The shooter is said to have had two children in the car – and Hamburg police tweeted that they were dealing with a ‘static hostage situation’.

A large number of state and federal police officers were at the scene and near the vehicle, federal police spokesman Thomas Gerbert told German news agency DPA.

Police said no one appeared to be injured, but the airport announced it is currently closed for take-offs and landings.

Police monitor the scene of a security breach at Hamburg Airport after a vehicle broke through

Fire vehicles arrive at a security scene at Hamburg Airport. Flights have been cancelled

Hamburg police tweeted that a “major police operation” took place at the airport “with a large contingent of emergency services.”

They added: “We are currently assuming a static hostage situation.”

Bild reports that the shooter drove in front of Terminal 1 in an Audi without a license plate.

The driver initially sped away, but a few minutes later broke through a security barrier at the north gate and drove towards the planes.

He is said to have started several fires in the airport area by throwing burning bottles from the car. They were described by police spokesman Gerbert as ‘a kind of Molotov cocktails’.

Images shared on social media show flames on the asphalt as firefighters rushed to the scene.

An airport spokesman said 27 flights were affected.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.