OMM Newsroom
The trial of wealthy German steakhouse heiress Christina Block has gripped the country for months and triggered what has been described as Germany’s biggest espionage scandal in recent history, according to the BBC.
Block, whose family owns the “Block House” steakhouse chain, is accused of commissioning an Israeli security firm to abduct her children from Denmark after a bitter custody dispute with her former husband, Stephan Hensel. The case allegedly involves at least two former intelligence agents, from Germany and Israel.
In the latest development, investigators found evidence during a search that led to the arrest this month of August Hanning, Germany’s former intelligence chief, on treason and espionage charges. His case is separate from the Hamburg trial. Hanning has denied involvement in an earlier alleged attempt to abduct the children.
Block and six others went on trial in a high-security courtroom in Hamburg in July last year. The success of the “Block House” chain, which serves steak and baked potatoes, has helped make Block’s father, Eugen, a multimillionaire over the past half-century.
Prosecutors allege that Block and family lawyer Andreas Costard organised the forcible abduction of two children who were staying with Hensel at his home in Denmark. They say the operation was carried out by 36-year-old Israeli citizen Jonathan G and five other people.
According to the indictment, the abduction took place during New Year celebrations in 2023-24, while the children and their father were watching fireworks. Prosecutors say several men ambushed and beat Hensel before dragging the boy and girl, then aged 10 and 13, into a car.
The group allegedly changed vehicles near the German border, taped the children’s mouths and tied the girl’s hands. They are then said to have driven to Baden-Württemberg in a campervan, where the children were held against their will until Block arrived on 2 January 2024 and took them to her home in Hamburg.
Block, Costard and Jonathan G are charged with abduction of minors, grievous bodily harm and unlawful detention. Block’s partner, former television sports presenter Gerhard Delling, and three others are charged with aiding and abetting.
All defendants deny wrongdoing except Jonathan G, who has admitted taking part but told the court he believed he was involved in a rescue operation.
The trial follows years of legal disputes between Block and Hensel over custody. After their separation, all four children initially lived with their mother in Hamburg. Hensel later remarried and moved to Denmark, where the children regularly visited him.
In 2021, the two youngest children went to visit their father in Denmark but were not returned to Hamburg as agreed. A Hamburg court ruled that Block had custody and that the children should be returned. In February 2023, however, a Danish court ruled that although the boy and girl had been taken to Denmark unlawfully, they could not be taken back.
Hensel was charged with abduction of minors in May 2023, and that case is still pending. He has accused Block of being violent towards the children, which she denies. Block told the court that Hensel wanted revenge on her.
Block also denies knowing about plans to abduct the children from Denmark. Her defence argues that the Israeli security team acted on its own initiative. She told the court the operation was “a catastrophe” and said she had never wanted anything like it.
David Barkay, head of the Israeli security team, is not on trial but faces future legal proceedings. He told the court that Block and Costard knew about the planned operation to return the children. Another witness described Barkay as a former agent with Mossad, Israel’s secret service.
Barkay said he had not shared all the details because he “didn’t trust them”.
Allegations linking Hanning to the case concern an earlier attempt in 2022 to abduct the children and bring them back from Denmark. Prosecutors say Hanning was responsible for arranging security staff sent to Denmark with Block. His lawyer denies the allegations, and Hanning has not been charged in the current case against Block.
During a search of Hanning’s home, investigators found evidence suggesting he was involved in buying about 2,000 documents from his former chief of staff and then passing state secrets to foreign powers. The alleged recipients and the foreign power involved have not been specified, prompting widespread speculation.
Hanning, who is 80, is in custody on charges of treasonous espionage. His lawyer says he is being “unjustly persecuted” and calls the charges “unfounded”.
The trial of Block is currently on hold for two weeks, following numerous delays and extensions during the past 15 months. The latest postponement came after a witness, Hensel’s new wife, failed to appear in court.
