Overview

• On Monday, relatives notified police when the 11-year-old did not arrive at school in Chemnitz and could not be located near their home in Flöha, prompting searches by multiple patrol cars and a police helicopter.
• Just before 8:40 p.m., an unknown individual directed a green laser beam at the three-officer helicopter, forcing the crew to extinguish its lights and abort the aerial mission.
• Shortly after 10 p.m., the child was found unharmed by family acquaintances hiding near a monument on Chemnitzer Promenadenstraße.
• Police president Carsten Kaempf condemned the laser attack as highly life-threatening and despicable, emphasizing the peril it posed to the helicopter crew.
• Authorities have launched an investigation into dangerous interference with air traffic but have yet to identify any suspects in the laser attack.