Driver crashes through fence at Rotterdam The Hague Airport, caught 20 mins. later

A 52-year-old man drove through the Rotterdam The Hague airport barrier at 11 p.m. on Wednesday before ramming a gate. Authorities were then unable to find him for a short period of time, as he had gone missing either near the airport building or around a runway.

Officers from the Marechaussee found the Mercedes-Benz at the smashed gate, and the airbags had deployed. However, "there was no-one to be found," a spokesperson for the military service said. The Marechaussee handles border protection, including specific airport security tasks.

The air traffic to and from the airport was halted "just to be sure." Several police patrol cars and a police helicopter assisted in tracking the man down. He was eventually found after a 20 minute search.

The man drove onto the airport terrain from the west side. The Marechaussee has said that they do not know precisely where he was found. The suspect was taken to the nearby Franciscus Hospital "due to his physical and mental health." The spokesperson would not elaborate on the man's health status.

He remained at the hospital on Thursday morning. The investigation into his motives will begin when the man is approachable, but the Marechaussee said, "We assume this is not terrorist related as it was late in the evening and there were few people at the airport."

When asked how it could be possible for someone to destroy a gate and enter the restricted area of the airport, the spokesperson said it was, "just as much a question for you as it is for me." The spokesperson added, "An airport is huge. We don't stand and watch every three meters with a colleague. One hundred percent safety is a pipe dream."

The incident did not have a serious impact on airport operations, the Marechaussee said. However, flight details showed that a Transavia flight from Barcelona, which was supposed to land at 10:50 p.m., was diverted to Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam after circling Rotterdam three times. "We could not land. The passengers took a bus to Rotterdam afterward," a Transavia spokesperson confirmed.