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Hamburg Court Plays Abduction Audio in Block Case After Recusal Bid Is Rejected

Defense now seeks a pause to review a trove of newly seized digital data.

Overview

  • Jurors heard half an hour of recordings from a child’s emergency button capturing hurried steps, distressed breathing and men’s voices saying the children were going “back home to mama,” prompting visible anguish from both parents.
  • The court rejected a defense motion to recuse the panel and has added dates through June 2026 as the complex case continues.
  • Defense lawyers asked to suspend proceedings to review more than a terabyte of phone, tablet and laptop data recently admitted after formal seizure.
  • One child will not testify by invoking the right to refuse; the sibling’s appearance has been rescheduled for mid-December.
  • The presiding judge warned Christina Block that contacting witnesses could trigger an arrest warrant, while prosecutors continue to seek six suspects in Israel and one Israeli co-defendant has confessed.