Denmark police shut bridges and halt ferries to Sweden and Germany in ‘major operation’

Reports suggest Swedish-registered car being tracked in connection with a kidnapping

Danish police temporarily closed two major bridges to traffic and halted ferry services from Denmark to Sweden and Germany in a major manhunt operation.

Officials shut down the Oresund Bridge, which links Denmark and Sweden, and the Great Belt Bridge linking the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen.

The eastern island of Zealand, where Copenhagen is located, was cut off, causing long queues. Copenhagen’s airport remained open, according to its website.

Police later tweeted to say all the crossings, as well as Copenhagen Central Station, had been re-opened to traffic.

They said they were hunting three people involved in a “serious crime” in a Volvo V90 car, registered in Sweden, but declined to give further details.

Officials warned members of the public not to attempt to contact the people in the car.

Sweden’s Aftonbladet newspaper, citing an unnamed police source, reported that the crime was thought to be a kidnapping.

The Volvo was operated by First Rent A Car in Stockholm, the Swedish car registry showed. The firm did not respond to calls for comment.

Denmark’s TV2 said a police helicopter and a search with canine squads was spotted on the highway near Roskilde, 40 miles west of Copenhagen between the capital and the Storebaelt bridge to the Funen island.

The Danish armed forces reportedly also took part in the operation.

Additional reporting by agencies