Overview

• Tal S., 36, told the Hamburg court he overpowered the father in Denmark as his team took the two children and drove toward the German border, describing the operation as a rescue rather than a kidnapping.
• He said he led the on-site action, apologized to the father and the children, accepted responsibility for a mistake, and rejected claims that anyone threatened to kill the children.
• The Israeli defendant was arrested in Cyprus late last September and has been held in pretrial detention in Hamburg since November.
• Christina Block denies commissioning the operation; her lawyer says she has temporarily invoked her right to remain silent after the ex-husband contacted their daughter Greta.
• Charges reference an Israeli private security firm reportedly led by figures now sought on international warrants, while further testimony and hearings continue at the Hamburg Regional Court.