Ten firefighters and two police officers were injured after a resident used an unidentified object to cause an explosion in a building in Germany, an interior minister in the country has said.
Security sources told Reuters they did not rule out that the explosion in the town of Ratingen was a targeted attack.
Firefighters and police were called this morning after concerns were raised about two residents, North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister said.
Herbert Reul added that when they forced open the door of an apartment, they found a fire and one of the inhabitants used an unidentified object to cause an explosion, the minister added.
Public broadcaster ZDF said a mother and son lived in the building and concerns had been raised that their letterbox was overflowing.
Police officers were seen gathered in front of the building. Photo: AP
Television footage from the scene showed police snipers positioned on a balcony opposite the building as smoke billowed from a top-floor apartment.
Police said a large-scale operation was underway.
Ratingen is located on the northeastern outskirts of Düsseldorf, the state capital.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is expected to issue a statement on the incident this afternoon, ZDF reported.
