In Cologne, a man who was actually housed in a forensic clinic has escaped.

A man housed in a forensic clinic in Cologne has escaped and is being sought by police. The 38-year-old has been missing since Monday, a spokesperson said. A helicopter was used in the search, among other things. However, the man is still being sought.

The spokesperson said the man was a criminal who had been placed in the clinic in the Cologne district of Porz by court order. The 38-year-old is in a correctional facility. He reportedly managed to escape during a supervised walk. The police spokesperson referred further details to a later date. Several Cologne media outlets had previously reported on the incident.

Forensic treatment is a special form of detention for offenders who, due to a mental illness or addiction, are unable to recognize the wrongfulness of their crime. Such offenders are usually placed in forensic psychiatric hospitals by courts as not criminally responsible or of diminished criminal responsibility—in contrast to offenders who are criminally responsible and serve their sentences in correctional facilities.

Several Cologne media outlets had reported.