Christina Block, 53, and six others went on trial in a high-security courtroom in Hamburg in July last year. Prosecutors allege that she and a family lawyer, Andreas Costard, organised the forcible abduction of two of her children from their father, Stephan Hensel, in Denmark.
The abduction is said to have taken place during the New Year celebrations of 2023-24, as the children and their father were watching a firework display. According to the indictment, several men ambushed and beat Stephan Hensel, then dragged the boy and the girl, then aged 10 and 13, into a car.
The operation was allegedly carried out by a 36-year-old Israeli identified only as Jonathan G and five others. The case has drawn attention to the use of private security firms in custody disputes and has connections to at least two former secret agents, from Germany and Israel.
In a stunning development this month, investigators in the case uncovered evidence that led to the arrest of August Hanning, a former head of German intelligence, on charges of treason and espionage. While Hanning's arrest is not directly related to the Hamburg trial, he has denied allegations of involvement in an earlier attempted abduction of the children. His arrest has stunned the intelligence community.
Block House restaurants, specialising in steak and baked potatoes, are a fixture of many German towns. Their success over the past half century has made Christina Block's father Eugen a multimillionaire. Christina Block denies knowing about the planned abduction of her children.