A man was taken into police custody on Friday following a major police operation at Vienna General Hospital (AKH). Hospital security had become aware of the 47-year-old French national, who had threatened AKH staff in early April and was subsequently issued a ban from the premises. No weapon had been found on the suspect by Friday evening.

Since it could not initially be ruled out that the man was armed, police responded with a large deployment including special units Cobra, WEGA, and standby officers. The entrance area of the University Clinic for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine was secured by officers.

The suspect was later located and detained by WEGA and Cobra officers in Vienna’s Landstraße district. Apparently, the 47-year-old had left the hospital on his own. As of Friday evening, he remained in police custody. The Vienna State Criminal Investigation Department has taken over the case. Whether the man was indeed armed remains under investigation.

The man’s wife is currently a patient at the AKH. In early April, the 47-year-old had expressed frustration over what he believed was inadequate medical care and made threats against hospital staff.