display
Special police forces ended a hostage-taking with children in Hamburg bloodlessly on Friday morning.
They took three minors from an apartment on Mehrenskamp Street in the Hamburg district of Billstedt, as a spokesman for the authorities said.
The children were physically unharmed, it was said.
They were looked after by a crisis intervention team.
The 38-year-old, who had locked himself and the children in the apartment, resisted his arrest.
He was able to be overwhelmed and later received outpatient treatment in a hospital before being admitted to the psychiatric department of a hospital.
The man is already known to be mentally ill.
It was not the first time that he was conspicuous, it was said from police circles.
As WELT learned, the man is said to have been alone in the apartment with the 16 and 12 year old boys and the nine year old girl of his life partner on Friday morning.
It is believed that he did not take his medication.
There is said to have been an argument between the children and the supervisor, during which the 38-year-old is said to have hit the 16-year-old in the face and locked the apartment door.
display
The children are said to have fled to the children's room and locked themselves in or barricaded themselves there.
There they are said to have yelled for help from the window, whereupon residents alerted the police.
The 38-year-old is said to have rioted in the apartment and armed himself with a knife.
He is also said to have tried to break the door to the children's room.
But without success.
With a head of the fire brigade, the three children could be fetched from the apartment through the window by the special police forces.
Shortly thereafter, the officers stormed the home and overwhelmed the man.
He is said to have slightly injured himself with the knife.
The children's mother, who was at work at the time of the crime, returned to the apartment a little later and was able to take over her three children.