An armed police officer receiving psychiatric treatment at an Istanbul hospital has attempted to commit suicide, causing panic in the Turkish city already on edge following a series of deadly attacks.
Zekayi Kutlubay, the chief physician of Istanbul's Cerrahpasa Hospital, said the officer had barricaded himself into a room on Wednesday and all staff had been evacuated from the psychiatry unit.
"He is alone in the room," Kutlubay told reporters outside of the hospital.
Kutlubay rejected earlier Turkish media reports that the man had taken doctors and other staff hostage, saying, "There is no hostage crisis.”
The physician also noted that police negotiators were trying to persuade the officer not to commit suicide.
The policeman had been receiving psychiatric treatment over the past two years, Kutlubay added.
"The gun is not his, but unfortunately he has a gun with him," he further said.
Turkey has witnessed a spate of fatal attacks that have been blamed on Kurdish militants and the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.