Man Storms Chancellor Scholz at Frankfurt Airport: Security Vulnerability Exposed

On the tarmac at Frankfurt Airport, Olaf Scholz (SPD) is suddenly hugged by a man. The bodyguards apparently recognized the danger too late.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) climbs into the government plane.Kay Nietfeld/dpa

A man tricked several security guards and BKA officials at Frankfurt Airport. Late on Wednesday evening he managed to run up to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on the tarmac and hug him. As reported by the Bild newspaperthe man was immediately arrested and interrogated by the police in Hesse.

Scholz had previously celebrated the 25th birthday of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt am Main. After the end of the event, the man is said to have attached himself to the Chancellor’s motorcade on the way to the airport with his car. This motorcade brought Scholz and also Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) to the airport. Neither the BKA nor airport security noticed that the man’s car was not one of them.

Olaf Scholz’s bodyguards recognized the dangerous situation too late

When Scholz wanted to get on the plane from his limousine, the man left his car, shook Scholz’s hand and hugged him. The bodyguards recognized the dangerous situation far too late.

The Bild newspaper quotes a statement from the Chancellery: “For Olaf Scholz, it wasn’t a major incident in the specific situation, just a surprisingly warm hug. In retrospect, it becomes clear what could have happened there.”