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Unterkirnach: Numerous police and rescue service vehicles in a residential area

Photo: Silas Stein/dpa

Helicopter, armored vehicle, special police forces: A man resisted a forced eviction on Tuesday and triggered a major police operation in Unterkirnach in Baden-Württemberg.

A local police spokesman said it cannot be ruled out that there were weapons and a small amount of explosives in the 62-year-old's house.

The man, who lived alone in the house that was being evicted, threatened to set the building on fire.

According to the information, the operation has been running since morning.

Rottweil police officers are currently negotiating with the man holed up in the house to get him to give up.

How long the operation will last is unclear.

The police spokesman explained that the situation was static.

“It could last another five hours or it could be over in the next five minutes.”

According to the police spokesman, nothing is known about the man's background.

The spokesman did not want to confirm whether he was registered as a gun owner.

There is also no information available as to whether the 62-year-old is a “Reich citizen”.

So-called Reich citizens are people who do not recognize the Federal Republic and its democratic structures.

The house is largely cordoned off

When it comes to forced evictions, the police are often involved right from the start because of the possible risks, said the spokesman.

In the present case, after discovering that the resident might have weapons following his threats, it was decided to launch a large-scale operation involving the police, fire brigade and special forces.

The residents of several single-family homes and semi-detached houses directly adjacent to the affected house have now been brought to safety and accommodated by the city, it said.

It was not announced how many people had to leave their homes.

The house was largely cordoned off.

Unterkirnach is located in the southern Black Forest, around eight kilometers from the nearest larger town, Villingen-Schwenningen.

According to the community, around 2,600 people live there.

wit/dpa