Detention extended for Tajiks over plans to attack Cologne Cathedral

Detention extended for Tajiks over plans to attack Cologne Cathedral

On New Year's Eve, the Cologne police announced three further arrests, and a 41-year-old German-Turkish man was also taken into custody on New Year's Eve in Bochum.

North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) spoke of "Islamist individuals and groups of people" who are "more active than usual at the moment". According to media reports, the trail leads to an offshoot of the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS).

According to the police, the attack was apparently carried out in a car - "we don't know how", said the head of the Cologne police traffic directorate, Frank Wißbaum, on Sunday.

Officers had then investigated the underground parking garage under Cologne Cathedral with explosives detection dogs, he said. However, nothing suspicious was found. "As things stand, we have not found anything that points to an immediate attack," said Wißbaum.

The security forces in Cologne have been on heightened alert since Christmas due to a terror warning. Following the "danger warning", the Cologne police searched the cathedral with sniffer dogs on the day before Christmas Eve. No explosives were found. The Christmas masses took place in the following days under heightened security measures.

Read also:

• This will change in December
• Fireworks and parties ring in 2024 - turn of the year overshadowed by conflicts
• Attacks on ships in the Red Sea: shipping companies avoid important trade route
• Houthi rebels want to launch further attacks despite international coalition

1. The extended detention includes three individuals associated with the alleged attack plans against the Cologne Cathedral.
2. The North Rhine-Westphalia authorities are particularly concerned about the increase in activity of Islamist individuals and groups, as stated by Minister Herbert Reul.
3. The police in Wesel also arrested a German-Turkish man in connection with the attack plan that targeted the Cologne Cathedral.
4. The Cologne police had extended their surveillance and security measures around the cathedral due to the potential threat, a decision made in response to the terror warning.
5. The Tajiks under investigation are believed to have links to an offshoot of the Islamic State (IS), according to media reports.
6. The police in Bochum and Cologne have been collaborating to uncover the detailed attack plan, aiming to prevent any harm to the cathedral and its visitors.
7. The interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul (CDU), urged the public to remain vigilant and support the ongoing investigations.
8. The extended detention of the individuals involved in the alleged plot will give the police more time to gather evidence, questioning them about their role in the attack plan and their connections to extremist groups.

Source: www.stern.de