Children of German steakhouse heiress kidnapped

Christina Block's children were kidnapped Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images Europe

Police in Denmark and Germany are hunting for two kidnapped children. they suspect is the culmination of a custody battle involving a millionaire restaurant heiress.

The children, aged 10 and 13, were abducted shortly after midnight on Monday while watching fireworks with their father in the Danish town Grosten.

Several men threw the father to the floor and then beat him. They then put the children in two cars, Danish police confirmed.

The vehicles, a Mercedes and a Citroen, had German license plates, prompting local police to immediately contact their German counterparts abroad at 10 miles to the south.

On Tuesday, police still had no information about the whereabouts of the children.

German police are also investigating. It is unclear whether the kidnappers crossed the border.

Terrifying custody battle

Although Danish police have refused to confirm the identity of the children's father, they have said the victims are involved in a custody dispute that has been reported by media in both countries.< /p>

They are now investigating “whether there is a connection between the night's events and the issue of parental authority,” a police spokesman said.

German newspaper Bild reported that the victims were the two youngest children of German steakhouse heiress Christina Block and her ex-husband Stefan Hensel.

The couple from the northern port city of Hamburg were involved in the horrific incident. custody battle following their divorce in 2018.

Mr Hensel moved across the Danish border after the breakup.

Ms Block, the daughter of steakhouse magnate Eugen Block, previously told German media that her ex-husband «kidnapped» their two youngest children in 2021 after they failed to return to their Hamburg home after a weekend visit

He responded that the children refused to return to Germany and accused his ex-wife of subjecting them to physical and emotional abuse.

Litigation ensued in both countries, and The German court system ruled that Mr. Hensel must return the children to their mother.

However, Danish courts ruled that they must remain with the father and granted the mother visitation rights.

Police appeal for witnesses< p>The police have filed an appeal for witnesses to come forward. The kidnapping took place at the Caféodora restaurant in Grosten shortly after midnight on Monday.

The 10-year-old boy was wearing blue jeans, a blue and white striped shirt and a dark pullover.

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He is 13 The year-old sister wore light cargo trousers and a green sweater with a teddy bear motif on the front.

Ms Bock will inherit a £350 million fortune, including her father's Block House restaurant chain founded in the 1960s.