In connection with the terrorist alarm for Cologne Cathedral, the police took a suspect into custody in Wesel. The police searched an apartment with special forces in the city on the Lower Rhine on Christmas Eve and took five men into custody. While four of them were released, the emergency services took a 30-year-old Tajik into custody “to avert danger.” The police announced on Tuesday that there was information relevant to state security regarding him.
On Christmas Day, at the request of the Cologne police, the Oberhausen district court confirmed the order of detention until January 7th. Police chief Michael Esser said: “We are exhausting all legal options to protect the people, the cathedral and the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations.” The police will not provide any information about the background to the detention until further notice due to ongoing investigations.
On Tuesday, the police and cathedral administration announced that the security measures imposed at Cologne Cathedral would be extended until New Year’s Day. The cathedral can still be entered for mass and confession as at Christmas. However, visitors would have to allow themselves to be checked by the police. According to the information, the church remains closed to tourists visiting the treasury or the observation tower for security reasons.
According to dpa information, the security authorities had received information about a possible attack plan by an Islamist group on Cologne Cathedral and a church in Vienna. According to the Cologne police, the information related to New Year’s Eve. In Austria, four people were arrested during investigations against an Islamist network. According to the public prosecutor’s office, three were investigated for membership in a terrorist organization in connection with terrorist crimes.
