German officers detain 3 extra suspects in reference to a Cologne Cathedral assault menace
BERLIN — Three extra individuals have been detained Sunday in reference to a reported menace of an assault on the Cologne Cathedral over the vacations, German authorities mentioned.
The detentions got here solely days after a 30-year-old Tajik man was detained in relation to an alleged plot to assault the world-famous cathedral by Islamic extremists within the western German metropolis.
The suspects have been detained within the western cities of Duisburg, Herne and Dueren within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and their residences have been additionally searched there. No particulars about their identities have been launched.
All of the detained suspects – together with the Tajik who was arrested final week – allegedly belong to a bigger community that included individuals throughout Germany and in different European international locations, based on Cologne police chief Johannes Hermanns, German information company dpa reported.
The assault was presupposed to have been carried out with a automotive loaded with explosives, native media reported.
Cologne police mentioned in a Sunday information convention that the cathedral’s underground parking storage had been searched and that explosives detection canine had been deployed – however nothing was discovered. Since the early morning, the doorway and exit of the underground storage had additionally been checked for suspicious exercise.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul known as the newest detentions a “success, for which I would like to thank the investigators.”
Islamic extremists have at all times been lively, however they’re presently extra lively than regular and the Catholic cathedral was a first-rate goal for them, Reul mentioned, based on dpa. “The police always try to be a few steps ahead,” he added.
Police had obtained details about a deliberate militant assault on Cologne Cathedral shortly earlier than Christmas. The assault was to be carried out on New Year’s Eve.
The metropolis’s world-famous cathedral has been beneath excessive safety for every week and the menace led to the closure of the home of worship for vacationers since Christmas Eve.
Usually, greater than 100,000 vacationers go to the cathedral within the final week of the yr. In current days, solely worshippers have been allowed to enter the constructing for Mass, however they needed to undergo thorough safety checks involving sniffer canine.
On Sunday night, round 1,000 cops have been on responsibility across the cathedral as revelers started celebrating the tip of 2023.
Reul, the state inside minister, inspired individuals to have fun and never keep at dwelling regardless of the assault menace.
“Islamist terror is still a threat on German streets,” he mentioned. “We have often suppressed that. And whenever there is a one-off event like this, we are all very electrified again.”
However, it could be incorrect to panic, mentioned Reul. “I say: Celebrate! Behave yourselves! Take care – and enjoy the transition into the new year.”
