Cologne Cathedral: Increased security precautions after possible attack plans
On Saturday evening, the Cologne police searched Cologne Cathedral well into the night and then closed the cathedral. According to the officers, the security alert received related to New Year's Eve, but the security measures were brought forward to the Christmas period. "This is about the safety of the people of Cologne," said police spokesman Wolfgang Baldes. The number of police officers on site has been increased.
The German authorities did not comment on further details - but the information about the danger had been taken seriously and would be investigated further. State security is also involved. For the Christmas services, the police called on the public to arrive early and, if possible, not to bring any bags so that it does not take longer. All visitors would be checked, they said.
A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said that there is currently an increased threat situation in the area of Islamist terrorism. "The federal and state security authorities are therefore acting with the utmost vigilance and take the threat of Islamist terrorism very seriously," he emphasized. They are using all constitutional, police and intelligence resources "to identify and prevent possible attack plans ".
"We take the threat of Islamist terrorism very seriously and are extremely vigilant", Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) told the Funke newspapers. The security authorities had the Islamist scene in their sights and were acting consistently. However, she also said: "We all love our Christmas traditions and will not be intimidated or restricted in our way of life."
In Vienna, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution arrested four people on Saturday during an operation against an Islamist network - three of them were then taken to the Vienna-Josefstadt prison, according to the APA news agency. However, there was "no immediate danger of an attack in Vienna", explained a spokesperson for the Austrian Ministry of the Interior.
The police in Vienna also announced that due to a "current threat assessment" by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the still elevated terror alert level, there was "generally an increased risk in Austria" during the Christmas holidays. The authorities have increased the corresponding protective measures.
According to the newspaper "Bild", the security authorities in Austria, Germany and Spain have received information that an Islamist extremist cell may be planning to carry out several attacks in Europe on New Year's Eve or Christmas. In addition to Cologne, targets could also be Christmas services in Vienna and Madrid.
Bild" and ARD also reported the arrest of a suspected Islamist in Germany. According to information from the ARD capital city studio, the man was arrested in Saarland and is said to have been known to the authorities as an extremist for a long time.
According to "Bild", the suspects arrested in Austria and Germany are said to be Tajiks. They are therefore linked to the Afghan branch of the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS), which calls itself the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISPK).
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Source: www.stern.de
