Hanover Airport Closes After Man Takes Drug-Fueled Drive on Tarmac
Authorities closed Hanover Airport (HAJ) in northern Germany on Saturday around 3:30pm local time after a man drove a silver BMW with Polish license plates through a passageway and onto the tarmac. The car then began following an Aegean Airlines flight that had just landed.
The action prompted an immediate response by federal police, including the deployment of an explosives team. Arrivals and departures were cancelled as a precaution at the time with concerns the incident could be terrorist related. Security in Germany was already on high alert for the holiday travel season after reports of possible extremist surveilling German airports surfaced.
The man was eventually detained by local police. He later tested positive for cocaine and amphetamines. A search of the car didn't turn up anything dangerous, other than its driver.
Normal flight operations resumed some five hours after the initial incursion onto the tarmac.
H/T: dw.com
