Pawel, thank you for your quick reply. The lever came off its pin, so I have a short length of cable which I can grab with a vice grip and pull. If a cable snaps in the engine compartment, then I do not know how I would open the hood without damaging the grill (easiest access to the locking mechanism). The Niemoeller part has an original MB part number of 111 880 00 59.
How did you get the original MB part number?