Crime: Increased vigilance after fear of attacks in Cologne and Vienna

After the terrorist alarm for Cologne Cathedral and a church in Vienna, there is increased caution with a view to New Year’s Eve. “There is currently an increased threat situation in the area of ​​Islamist terrorism. The federal and state security authorities are therefore acting with the greatest vigilance,” said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin.

In Cologne, the cathedral will remain closed to tourists until further notice. “All liturgical offerings are taking place, unfortunately tourist visits are not possible,” said the cathedral’s security chief, Oliver Gassen, to the German Press Agency on Tuesday. “The cathedral will be closed between services.” Normally the cathedral is visited by more than 100,000 people from Christmas to New Year.

According to dpa information, the security authorities had received information about a possible attack plan by an Islamist group on Cologne Cathedral and a church in Vienna. According to the Cologne police, the information related to New Year’s Eve, but security precautions had already been increased for the Christmas celebrations.

Police in Vienna also increased security measures

Police officers have been checking visitors to the cathedral since Christmas Eve. On Saturday evening, the police had already searched the cathedral with sniffer dogs, but said they found nothing unusual. Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki thanked those attending the service for “not allowing themselves to be frightened and frightened, but for coming here courageously” despite the situation.

The police also increased security measures in Vienna. In Austria, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution arrested four people on Saturday. Since then, among other things, data carriers such as cell phones that were seized during the searches have been evaluated, said public prosecutor Nina Bussek to the dpa on Tuesday. Pretrial detention was ordered for two men and a woman, a court spokeswoman told the APA news agency. She is being investigated for belonging to a terrorist organization in connection with terrorist crimes.

A fourth person is not being investigated on suspicion of terrorism, Bussek said. The person happened to be present when the three suspects were arrested. She was wanted for violating immigration laws and was therefore arrested.

“Bild” also reported on an arrest in Germany. However, there was initially no confirmation of this.

Reference to IS offshoot?

According to dpa information, the suspicious group could possibly have a connection to an offshoot of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network, which calls itself the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISPK) and has been involved in an armed conflict with militant Islamists in Afghanistan for several years Taliban fights. A spokeswoman for the Vienna public prosecutor’s office did not want to comment.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution emphasized in April that although the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) was largely defeated in Syria and Iraq, the entire organization was far from being destroyed. Authority chief Thomas Haldenwang said at the time: “Among the various branches of IS, the “Islamic State of Khorasan Province”, or ISPK for short, stands out.”

Since the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7th, fears have been increasing that attacks could also occur in Germany. According to the police there, the terror alert level in Austria remains elevated. The additional precautionary measures served to maintain general safety in Austria.

Church services Cologne Cathedral Notice from Cologne Police