Overview

• Stephan Hensel testified that his children suffer fear, panic attacks and nightmares since the New Year’s Eve 2023/24 abduction, receive therapy and attend school under assumed names.
• He repeated allegations that the children experienced violence in Christina Block’s household, claims she rejects as manipulation by the father.
• The court session featured disputes over a child psychiatrist’s attendance and several defense objections, with pauses, a rebuked audience and the day ending after a heated exchange on procedure.
• One alleged kidnapper in Israel has signaled willingness to cooperate with Hamburg prosecutors, while a detained Israeli co-defendant has already given detailed statements.
• Investigators last week searched 13 sites in Germany and Switzerland tied to a failed 2022 attempt, with ex‑BND chief August Hanning and a former LKA officer under investigation over a purported six‑figure contract, which they deny and for which they are not charged in the current case.