Planned attack on Cologne Cathedral
Police arrest three more suspects
December 31, 2023, 6:10 p.m
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A Tajik is believed to be planning an attack on Cologne Cathedral on Christmas Eve. He spends New Year’s Eve in police custody, as do three other suspects. The police speak of a larger terrorist network that extends to other federal states and states.
The police have arrested three more suspects who are said to be connected to the planned terrorist attack on Cologne Cathedral. The police said the attacks took place in Duisburg, Herne and Nörvenich in the Düren district. Apartments there were also searched.
It turned out that the Tajik who was taken into custody on Christmas Eve was part of a larger network that also extends to other federal states and other European countries, said Cologne police chief Johannes Hermanns at a press conference that was arranged at short notice. The attack was therefore supposed to be carried out with a car.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul spoke of a “success, for which I would like to thank the investigators.” Islamist extremists have always been active, but are currently more active than usual, said the CDU politician. “The police always try to be a few steps ahead.”
Around 1,000 police officers are currently on duty to ensure security around the cathedral on New Year’s Eve. So far nothing unusual has been found, said Reul. The police are appealing to revelers to report unusual occurrences, such as someone behaving strangely or walking around with luggage in a conspicuous manner. There is a ban on firecrackers in large parts of Cologne city center.
Shortly before Christmas, the police received information about a planned Islamist terrorist attack on Cologne Cathedral. The main suspect, Tajik, is said to have ties to the Islamic State jihadist militia.