The heiress to a German restaurant fortune and her sports commentator boyfriend hired Israeli spies to kidnap her two young children from Denmark as part of an ongoing custody battle with her ex-husband, authorities allege.
Christina Block, whose family founded the popular steakhouse chain Block House, faces 10 years in prison as she stands trial in Hamburg on charges of aggravated child abduction and unlawful detention.
The sensational trial has captivated Germany due to the lurid details of the alleged kidnapping, which reportedly entailed contracting a group of former Israeli intelligence agents to ambush her ex-husband, Stephan Hensel.
Christina Block (center), whose family founded the popular German restaurant chain Block House, is seen above with her lawyers in a Hamburg court on July 15. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Hensel and his two young children — Klara, 13, and Theodor, 10 — were watching fireworks at their home in a wooded