Unnoticed, a man makes it into a security area at the airport and comes dangerously close to the chancellor. His bodyguards do not intervene at first. The interior minister announces consequences.
A driver made it into a security area at Frankfurt Airport without authorization and hugged Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) there. A government spokesman said there was a handshake and then a hug.
The “Bild” newspaper had previously reported on the serious security breach. The Chancellor’s personal security did not initially intervene. The man had illegally joined the Chancellor’s convoy in his private car on Wednesday evening.
Man arrested without resistance
After the hug, he was arrested by the federal police at the airport without resistance. According to a spokesman for the police headquarters, it is a 48-year-old man from Frankfurt. After his personal details were determined, he was released. He is being investigated for trespassing.
No one was injured, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said on request. Scholz had previously been driven from the Frankfurt headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) to Germany’s largest airport. According to the newspaper report, the man’s car was able to pass the security barrier of the airport together with the Chancellor’s convoy – despite the license plate not being registered.
Scholz left after the incident
Scholz commented calmly about the incident. “As for the question of people saying hello to me and greeting me, that’s never something that particularly impresses me,” he said at a press conference in the Estonian capital, Tallinn. “I didn’t find this situation dramatic either.” When asked about possible consequences, the Chancellor replied: “The police are doing a good job, I feel in safe hands.”
Deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner previously said in Berlin that Scholz had planned neither an encounter nor an embrace. “So it was surprising for him, but not a big incident in the specific situation.” Nevertheless, questions arose that now need to be carefully clarified.
Faeser announces consequences
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced the consequences. “That must not happen,” said the SPD politician after a meeting with Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan at the Petrovice-Bahratal border crossing. One will now “work up very precisely what was wrong in order to be able to turn things off as far as possible”.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry described the process as “naturally unacceptable”. It is “not entirely clear at first glance where the error lies”. Therefore, the situation is analyzed. Security measures by the state police, federal police and the Federal Criminal Police Office are affected. “The aim of the work-up is, of course, that such an event cannot be repeated,” it said.
The “Bild” quoted chancellor’s office circles with the words: “For Olaf Scholz, it wasn’t a big incident in the specific situation, just a surprisingly warm hug. Looking back, it turns out what could have happened there.” Scholz’s BKA team admitted internally that such a situation should not occur again.
“A Gau for bodyguards”
The managing director of the Federal Association of the Security Industry, which is also responsible for private bodyguards, Martin Hildebrandt, said with regard to the incident with the Chancellor: “In 25 years I have not heard of anything like this. It’s a Gau for bodyguards. Something has to be done in advance gone wrong.”
A spokeswoman for the federal police at Frankfurt Airport said: “From our point of view, the federal police acted correctly.” The BKA did not want to provide any further information “for reasons of police tactics”. Airport operator Fraport said on request that the incident was being investigated. The runway at Frankfurt Airport is not accessible to normal passengers. If they are allowed to enter the area by invitation, representatives of the press will be extensively checked beforehand, including for explosives.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
