A 65-year-old woman barricaded herself inside a clinic in Aachen in western Germany on Monday, sparking a major police operation.
The woman entered the hospital in the afternoon, the police said on Monday evening.
Shortly afterwards, smoke was noticed in the area.
Police have dispatched special forces to the site. The rooms in the surrounding area were evacuated.
Whether the woman is armed and whether she has other people under her control is still unclear.
There was a “large contingent” of police officers on site.
A police spokeswoman in Aachen had previously confirmed a "suspicious person" at the hospital.
"There are road closures and restrictions on rail traffic. Avoid the area as much as possible," the police warned via X, formerly Twitter.
