Block Trial: Defendant Driver Testifies He Believed He Was Rescuing the Children

Driver's Testimony: Belief in a Rescue Operation

After the handover, he had flown back to his home country. The witness stated that he had ordered a bottle of wine on the plane to celebrate that the children had been rescued. It was only around a year later that he learned the situation had been different from what he had originally been told.

According to the court, the witness had transported the two children in the vehicle he himself was driving. During the operation, the children were handed over to their mother in southern Germany. The boy was ten years old at the time of the incident, his sister 13.

Course of New Year's Eve and the Witness's Role

The children were living with their father in Denmark at the time, according to the witness's account. On New Year's Eve 2023/24, they were allegedly pulled into a vehicle while watching fireworks. According to the indictment, the father and the children resisted during the abduction. The 42-year-old did not address this circumstance in his testimony.

The witness explained that, according to his own statements, he was a project manager in Israel. He and other suspects from Israel turned themselves in during the ongoing trial, according to information from the proceedings. Seven other accused must answer in the proceedings; a total of eight defendants are on trial.

Background: Allegations Against Christina Block

Christina Block is being investigated on suspicion of having commissioned an Israeli security firm to kidnap her two youngest children, following a years-long custody dispute with her ex-husband. The entrepreneur is the daughter of Eugen Block, the founder of the Block House steakhouse chain. According to information from the proceedings, Christina Block has professed her innocence.

Following the 42-year-old's testimony, it remains unclear to what extent he and his associates were deceived by Christina Block about the actual background of the operation. The question of „Wurden er und seine Mitstreiter von Christina Block hinters Licht geführt?“ was raised according to the proceedings report.

Open Questions in the Proceedings

The Hamburg Regional Court continued the trial on Monday. When a verdict might be reached in the proceedings, which have already been ongoing for months, initially remained unclear.