According to their mother, the two children, who temporarily disappeared after an attack on their father in southern Denmark, are doing well. Christina Block, the daughter of Eugen Block, the founder of the Block House restaurant chain, said through a company spokeswoman on Tuesday that the children were with her. It was unclear exactly where the children were. Danish police believed that the incident on New Year’s Eve was related to a disagreement between the children’s parents over custody.
“The children are doing well. I ask for your understanding that I am not making any further statements at this time, especially out of concern for the well-being of my children,” the spokeswoman said in the statement.
The Hamburg public prosecutor’s office had previously assumed that the children were in the care of their mother. “There are currently no concrete indications that there is a danger to the children,” a spokeswoman for the authority said at midday.
What happened on New Year’s Eve?
According to the Danish police, the father was attacked near a restaurant on New Year’s Eve while watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks with his two children in the town of Gråsten (Gravenstein). The two children, reportedly a boy aged 10 and a girl aged 13, were forced to get into a car. It is being investigated for bodily harm and deprivation of liberty.
The perpetrators fled in two cars with German license plates. The two vehicles were found in Germany by the German police, the Danish police said on Tuesday afternoon. She did not give any further details. Gråsten is located around 30 kilometers northeast of Flensburg. The “Bild” newspaper first reported on the incident.
The Hamburg police said the facts were known and were the subject of ongoing investigations. “Further information cannot be provided at the moment due to the investigation being only at the beginning,” it said.
Father’s statement
The father’s press law representative, lawyer Michael Philippi from the Hamburg law firm Unverzagt, told the German Press Agency: “In the current situation, our client will not comment for reasons of the children’s safety.”
The Block Group, with around 2,400 employees, is best known for the Block House steakhouse chain and the Hamburg five-star Grand Elysée hotel.
