In the clinic in Aachen, which was secured by police and fire departments due to a possible threat situation, there was smoke developing inside the building. This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for the responsible Cologne police. The “Bild” newspaper reports that a woman set off pyrotechnics in the hospital.
However, it cannot yet be said whether the woman is armed and whether she has other people under her control or is specifically threatening her. The situation is still too unclear for that. There was no talk of taking hostages.
The 65-year-old woman entered the hospital in the afternoon, police said. Shortly afterwards, smoke was noticed in the woman’s “close area”. The 65-year-old barricaded herself in a room in the hospital.
According to a dpa reporter, heavily armed officers wearing helmets were also involved in the large-scale police operation at an Aachen hospital. A helicopter was circling over the site on Monday evening. In addition, numerous fire and rescue services are on duty.
Train traffic around Aachen affected by police operations
“There will be road closures and restrictions on rail traffic. Avoid the area as much as possible,” the police warned simply via X (formerly Twitter). In the west of the city, a section of the railway was closed in the evening as a precaution.
“Trains are waiting at suitable stations,” said DB Regio on Platform X. Delays, partial cancellations and short-term changes to the train route are possible. Passengers were asked to check their travel connections. It is unclear how long the operation will last.
The hospital is run by a Protestant association. According to the company’s own information, patients with a wide variety of illnesses are treated in 15 clinics.
