The children of German steakhouse heiress Christina Block were reportedly kidnapped while they were watching fireworks on New Year’s Eve with their father.
According to the German newspaperBild, Klara, 13, and Theodor, 10, were watching fireworks in the Caféodora restaurant in Gråsten, Denmark with their dad Stephan Hensel when they were kidnapped shortly after midnight local time on Monday.
Alamy
Hensel is the ex-husband of Block, 49, who is the daughter of steakhouse tycoon Eugen Block, who has an estimated fortune of $330 million according to the German newspaperHamburger Abendblatt.
Per U.K. newspaperThe Telegraph, Danish police said a group of men knocked Hensel to the ground before attacking him and fleeing the scene with the two children in two rental cars with German license plates.
It is unclear whether the kidnappers crossed the Danish border.
Christina Block at the Night of the Butterflies charity gala in Hamburg, Germany.Tristar Media/Getty Images
Tristar Media/Getty Images
The publication also reported that Danish police are investigating whether the kidnapping is linked to a custody battle. Block and Hensel, who moved to Denmark after the pair’s split, have been locked in a custody battle since their divorce in 2018.
Per the publication, a police official said they are investigating “whether there is a connection between the night’s events and the question of parental authority.”
German police are also involved in the investigation. A federal police spokesperson toldBild, “We were involved because of a possible kidnapping.”
Christina Block and her current partner Gerhard Delling at the German Sports Media Ball.Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
According toThe Telegraph, Block previously told the German media that Hensel “kidnapped” their two youngest children in 2021 after they failed to return to their Hamburg home after a weekend visit to Denmark. Hensel said the children refused to return to Germany.
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As of Tuesday, there had been no sightings of the children. The authorities in Germany and Denmark did not immediately reply to PEOPLE’s request for further information.
source: people.com
