Safety precautions - Terror warning for Cologne Cathedral: police continue to investigate
Following the terror warning for Cologne Cathedral, the police are continuing to investigate the suspected Islamist network behind the attack. The 30-year-old Tajik, who was taken into custody in Wesel on Christmas Eve, will remain in custody until Sunday (January 7), a police spokeswoman said on Wednesday. He would then either have to be remanded in custody or released. A 25-year-old Tajik taken into custody on New Year's Eve in Nörvenich in the district of Düren will remain in long-term police custody until January 14 by court order. Three other suspects were released on New Year's Day.
Shortly before Christmas, the police had received information about a terrorist attack planned in or around the cathedral. After further investigations, the police announced on New Year's Eve that it was a "network of people from Central Asia". A car was to be used for the attack.
When asked whether the police still feared that a terrorist attack was to be carried out on the cathedral, NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) said on WDR's "Aktuelle Stunde" on Tuesday evening: "We assume - for months and years, basically - that there are Islamist terrorists and terrorists in Germany and also in North Rhine-Westphalia." The security authorities are constantly keeping an eye on them. "And the moment it becomes dangerous or when it becomes so serious that we have to assume that something could happen, then our priority is to protect our citizens above all else." In the end, a judge must decide whether the evidence is sufficient for an arrest or not.
The security precautions introduced at Cologne Cathedral shortly before Christmas were still in place on Wednesday. Only those attending church services had access to the cathedral. A traditional ecumenical service to mark the start of the carnival season was due to take place in the cathedral in the evening. It was forbidden to carry "weapon-like objects". These ranged from plastic pistols to the guards' sabres, said the police spokeswoman.
Meanwhile, the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper reported that three terror suspects arrested in North Rhine-Westphalia in July 2023 had spied on the Deutz funfair as a possible target for an attack. This is according to notes from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). A spokeswoman for the BKA said on Wednesday that she did not wish to comment on the report.
According to the newspaper's research, the suspects from Central Asia had been followed by undercover Cologne police officers on Easter Monday 2023 while visiting the funfair. The supporters of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia tested numerous rides and photographed the surrounding area. One of the suspects had raised his index finger in a gesture frequently used by Islamists during the ride on a carousel.
On July 6, 2023, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office and the Dutch judiciary arrested a total of nine terror suspects who claimed allegiance to the IS offshoot "Islamic State Province of Khorasan" (ISPK). The Federal Public Prosecutor General had already reported at the time that it could be assumed that potential targets in Germany had been targeted and possible crime scenes had been scouted.
Investigators are now convinced that the suspects visited the Cologne public festival to determine whether it could be a suitable location for an attack, reports the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger". The group had also been in contact with the men allegedly involved in the plans to attack Cologne Cathedral on New Year's Eve.
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- The terror warning for Cologne Cathedral originated in North Rhine-Westphalia, prompting increased security measures.
- Central Asia appears to be a source of the suspected Islamist network behind the potential attack on Cologne Cathedral.
- Wesel, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, played a role in the investigation with the arrest of a Tajik suspect on Saint's Eve.
- Criminality remains a concern in Germany, as evidenced by the terror warning and following investigations.
- The CDU, Germany's Christian Democratic Union, is led by NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul, who emphasizes the importance of citizen protection.
- The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper reported that terror suspects in North Rhine-Westphalia had scouted the Deutz funfair as a potential attack target in July 2023.
- Düren, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, hosted one of the detained terror suspects until January 14, following a court order.
- Safety precautions, such as banning weapon-like objects, were enforced at Cologne Cathedral due to the ongoing terror threat.
- Carnival celebrations in Cologne continue with strict safety measures, even amidst the raised terror alert level.
- The Cologne Cathedral hosts a traditional ecumenical service to mark the start of the carnival season, despite the terror warning.
- Nörvenich, also in North Rhine-Westphalia, was another location tied to the investigation, with the arrest of a different Tajik suspect on New Year's Eve.
- Terrorism remains a significant concern in Germany, requiring vigilance and swift police action during special events such as Saint's Eve, Christmas, and the New Year.
Source: www.stern.de
