Possible attack plans: Police increase protection at Cologne Cathedral

Security circles - Possible attack plans: Police increase protection at Cologne Cathedral

Security checks at the entrance, police vehicles in front of the cathedral: shortly before the Christmas services, the police have significantly increased security measures at Cologne Cathedral.

According to dpa, the security authorities had received information about a possible attack plan by an Islamist group on the cathedral and a church in Vienna. North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul made it clear that people should not be deterred from attending church because the protection provided by the authorities was working.

Police officers checked visitors to the cathedral, as reported by a dpa reporter. Police officers and around a dozen vehicles were also present in front of the cathedral. According to the church, tourist visits were not possible. On Saturday evening, the police had already searched the cathedral with sniffer dogs, but reportedly found nothing suspicious.

The police also increased security measures in Vienna. In Austria, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution arrested four people on Saturday during investigations into an Islamist network. Interviews with the suspects and corresponding evaluations are currently underway, the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence at the Austrian Interior Ministry said in response to a dpa inquiry. Further details could not be given at present for reasons of criminal tactics. The newspaper "Bild" also reported an arrest in Germany. However, there was initially no confirmation of this.

According to dpa information, the suspected 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.

Reference was made to New Year's Eve

Cologne police spokesman Wolfgang Baldes said: "We received a tip-off about a dangerous situation around Cologne Cathedral, possibly also for Cologne Cathedral, which related to New Year's Eve." He did not want to comment on who had given the tip-off. The police would not say anything about the findings, even with a view to further undercover investigations.

At the same time, the Cologne police made it clear that the increased security measures at the cathedral will continue for some time. "We now have to see how quickly we can actually verify this tip-off. It is certain that as long as a dangerous situation cannot be ruled out, we will of course continue these measures," said Baldes. The police still have very busy days ahead of them.

Appeal: Celebrate Christmas anyway

Despite the precautionary measures, North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Reul advised people not to refrain from attending church at Christmas for fear of an attack. "Our authorities are using all the information available to protect us as best they can. The measures in Cologne show this," emphasized Reul and added: "My appeal: go to church, celebrate Christmas. Fear is the currency of terrorists. We must not add to their value."

The church and police advised people to come to church a little earlier in view of the controls. Cathedral provost Guido Assmann said in an interview on cathedral radio that he would not let the joy be taken away from him. "I believe that all those who might want to make a threat or do something against our liberal state or against religious freedom would say 'we have won' when fear prevails." He emphasized: "The fact that we live in a constitutional state that protects religious freedom, that protects people when they want to come to worship, that protects everyone, I think that is a very, very valuable asset. And we are experiencing that here."

Reul: "We are not without protection"

NRW Interior Minister Reul commented on the actions of the security authorities: "Caution is the order of the day. We know that the threat of terrorism is higher than it has been for a long time and our Christian holiday rituals are of course also a target for Islamist terrorists," he said. "But we are not defenceless," added the CDU politician.

Since the terrorist attack by Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7, fears have been growing that there could also be attacks in Germany. According to the police in Austria, the terror alert level remains high. The additional precautionary measures were taken to maintain general security in Austria.