Police - No arrests in NRW over plan to attack Cologne Cathedral
No arrests have yet been made in North Rhine-Westphalia in connection with a possible attack on Cologne Cathedral. This was reported to Deutsche Presse-Agentur by security sources on Sunday morning. According to the police, they have increased security measures at Cologne Cathedral due to indications of a possible attack plan by an Islamist group. Police officers searched the cathedral with sniffer dogs on Saturday evening and announced that they would be checking all visitors on Christmas Eve. The newspaper "Bild" had previously reported that the first arrests had already been made on Saturday by special units in Vienna and also one in Germany.
According to dpa information, security authorities had received indications of a possible attack plan by an Islamist group on Cologne Cathedral. A church in Vienna was also a possible target, it was reported on Saturday.
According to dpa information, the group could possibly be linked to an offshoot of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network, which calls itself the Islamic State Province of Khorasan (ISPK) and has been engaged in an armed conflict with the militant Islamist Taliban in Afghanistan for several years.
Police statement
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The attack plan on Cologne Cathedral was reportedly not just limited to Germany, as a church in Vienna was also mentioned as a potential target. Despite increased security measures and searches by the police, no arrests have been made in North Rhine-Westphalia as of yet. The German Press Agency reported that the group behind the possible attack could be linked to an offshoot of the Islamic State terroristic network. On saint's eve, all visitors to the Cologne Cathedral will be thoroughly checked by the police.
Source: www.stern.de
