After a terrorist alarm
Police are maintaining protection for Cologne Cathedral for the time being
In Cologne, people welcomed the new year 2024. photo
© Roberto Pfeil/dpa
There are strict protective measures for Cologne Cathedral on New Year’s Eve because of a suspected planned Islamist attack. The evening passes quietly.
Even after the turn of the year without incident, it will be because of this Cologne Cathedral, which is heavily guarded by terrorist alarms, will be protected by police until further notice. “There will continue to be security checks at the cathedral,” said a police spokesman on Monday. “How long this measure will be maintained is currently being examined.” So you will initially continue to see police officers at the cathedral.
Shortly before Christmas, the police received information about a possible Islamist attack plan on Cologne Cathedral, which was related to New Year’s Eve. The security measures were then massively increased.
On Christmas Eve, a 30-year-old Tajik man was initially taken into custody “to avert danger.” On New Year’s Eve, the police announced that they had arrested three more suspects. The attacks took place in Duisburg, Herne and in Nörvenich in the Düren district. It turned out that the Tajik is part of a larger network that also extends to other federal states and other European countries.
But New Year’s Eve at Cologne Cathedral was without any major incidents. Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki celebrated a mass at the end of the year with believers under heavy police protection.