Special units in action - Cologne Cathedral terror alert: Suspect taken into custody in Wesel
Police have taken a suspect into custody in Wesel in connection with the terror alert for Cologne Cathedral. Police searched an apartment in the town on the Lower Rhine with special units on Christmas Eve and took five men into custody. While four of them were released, the police took a 30-year-old Tajik into custody "to avert danger". The police announced on Tuesday that they had information about him that was relevant to state security.
On Christmas Day, the Oberhausen district court confirmed the detention order until January 7 at the request of the Cologne police. CID chief Michael Esser said: "We are exhausting all legal possibilities to protect the people, the cathedral and the upcoming New Year's Eve celebrations." The police will not provide any information on the background to the detention until further notice due to ongoing investigations.
Köner Dom still closed to tourists
On Tuesday, the police and cathedral administration announced that the security measures imposed at Cologne Cathedral would be extended until New Year. The cathedral can still be entered for masses and confessions as at Christmas. However, visitors would have to be checked by the police. For tourist visits to the treasury or the observation tower, for example, the cathedral will reportedly remain closed for security reasons.
According to dpa, the security authorities had received information about a possible plan by an Islamist group to attack Cologne Cathedral and a church in Vienna. According to the Cologne police, the information related to New Year's Eve. In Austria, four people were arrested during investigations into an Islamist network. According to the public prosecutor's office, three were investigated for membership of a terrorist organization in connection with terrorist offences.
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The suspect, taken into custody in Wesel, is being held under the supervision of the Cologne Police due to information linked to the terror alert at Cologne Cathedral. Despite the extended security measures due to the threat, Cologne Cathedral remains open for religious activities, but tourist visits to the treasury and observation tower will be temporarily halted. The ongoing investigation into the threat against the cathedral has prompted the Police to withhold any details related to the detention.
Source: www.stern.de
