Successful manhunt in connection with the planned terrorist attack on Cologne Cathedral: The police have taken three more suspects into custody in three cities.
The Cologne police have taken three more terror suspects into custody in connection with possible plans to attack the cathedral on New Year’s Eve. The attacks took place in Duisburg, Herne and in Nörvenich in the Düren district. Apartments there were also searched.
The “supposed means of slinging” was a car, the police in Cologne said on Sunday. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) spoke at a short-term press conference about “Islamist people and groups of people” who are “more active than usual at the moment.”
Attack on Cologne Cathedral was probably supposed to be carried out by car
Cologne police chief Johannes Hermanns said the three suspects were connected to a Tajik man who was arrested in Wesel on Christmas Eve. It turned out that this is part of a larger network that also extends to other federal states and other European countries.
The investigation revealed that the alleged attack in Cologne was apparently intended to be carried out with a car – “we don’t know how,” explained the head of the Cologne police traffic department, Frank Wißbaum. Officials then examined the underground car park under Cologne Cathedral with explosives detection dogs. However, nothing suspicious was found.
“As of now, we have not found anything that would indicate an imminent attack,” said Wißbaum. However, the protective measures have been increased again. Since the afternoon, “around 1,000 police officers have been on special duty just to protect the cathedral and the population in downtown Cologne.” The suspects are “in state custody” and “cannot continue to communicate and act.”
Interior Minister Reul was convinced of the effectiveness of the protective measures. “The police have taken all precautions so that citizens can celebrate a safe New Year’s Eve,” assured the CDU politician. “I think you can celebrate peacefully in Cologne today.”
Shortly before Christmas, the police received information about a planned Islamist terrorist attack on Cologne Cathedral “on New Year’s Eve or at the turn of the year.” According to Hermanns, further checks showed that these were “very serious indications”. The security authorities were focusing on a man with ties to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
