Overview

• Tal S., 36, told the Landgericht Hamburg he led the on‑site team on New Year’s Eve 2023/24, overpowered the father in Denmark and helped move the children to Germany through a forest near the border.
• He apologized to the father and children, denied making death threats, and said the children's hands were taped during the trek after they resisted.
• He said he was recruited by the head of an Israeli security firm, that participants were offered €10,000 each, and that he personally did not take money.
• Under questioning on Aug. 29, he stated he knew of no formal contract for the operation, cited briefings and reconnaissance linked to Hamburg’s Grand Elysée, and maintained he believed the father was dangerous at the time.
• Christina Block denies commissioning any abduction as the court continues extensive hearings scheduled through March; the children were returned to their father days after the incident by appellate order, and the defendant has been in custody since a Cyprus arrest last year.