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Plans to attack Cologne Cathedral: “Go to church, celebrate Christmas”
Watch the video: Cologne Cathedral searched with sniffer dogs for evidence of attack plans
STORY: The police in Cologne have taken special protective measures due to a danger warning for Cologne Cathedral. The Cologne police headquarters announced on Saturday evening that details of the available findings will not be commented on due to ongoing investigations by the police state security agency. Even if the reference refers to New Year’s Eve, the police will take everything into account on Saturday evening to ensure the safety of cathedral visitors on Christmas Eve. After the evening mass, the cathedral was searched with sniffer dogs and then locked. “Tomorrow all visitors will be subject to a check before entering the place of worship,” it said. The media had previously reported that the security authorities in Austria, Germany and Spain had received indications that an Islamist terrorist cell might want to carry out several attacks in Europe on New Year’s Eve or Christmas. Targets could also include Christmas services in Cologne, Vienna and Madrid. The first arrests were made by special forces in Vienna and Germany on Saturday.
The police have received information about plans to attack Cologne Cathedral and have therefore increased security measures. No explosives were found during a search. This is what you should know before going to church.
What danger warning was there in Cologne?
The police in Cologne have taken special protective measures due to a danger warning for Cologne Cathedral. The Cologne police headquarters announced on Saturday evening that details of the available findings will not be commented on due to ongoing investigations by the police state security agency. A church in Vienna was also a possible target, it was said on Saturday.
Police said they would not release details of the danger warning Police spokesman Wolfgang Baldes. But this was taken seriously. Such reports are received again and again and are “evaluated conscientiously,” he continued. The current notice referred to New Year’s Eve, but the security measures were brought forward to the Christmas period. Everything is now being done to further clarify the information that state security is also involved.
Did the police find explosives?
According to security sources, no explosives were discovered during the search of Cologne Cathedral. The explosives detection dogs found nothing on Saturday evening, the German Press Agency learned on Sunday morning.
Who did the threat come from?
There is talk of possible attack plans by an Islamist group. According to dpa information, there could possibly be a connection to an offshoot of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network, which calls itself the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISPK) and has been waging an armed conflict with the militant Islamist Taliban in Afghanistan for several years.
Have there been any arrests?
According to the Ministry of the Interior there, the Austrian Office for the Protection of the Constitution has arrested four people during investigations against an Islamist network. Interviews with the suspects and corresponding evaluations are currently underway, the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence in the Austrian Interior Ministry announced on Sunday. For tactical reasons, further details cannot be given at the moment.
“Bild” had previously reported on arrests in Austria. There was also a first arrest in Germany. There was initially no confirmation of this on Sunday. According to dpa information, security authorities had received information about a possible attack plan by an Islamist group on Cologne Cathedral and a church.
Should you visit Cologne Cathedral?
In view of the police’s precautionary measures, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul has appealed to people not to forego visiting church at Christmas for fear of an attack. “Caution is the order of the day. We know: 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,” said the CDU politician to the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf.
“But we are not without protection. Our authorities are using all their knowledge to protect us as best as possible. The measures in Cologne now show this,” emphasized Reul and added: “My appeal: go to church, celebrate Christmas. Fear is the currency of terrorists. We must not add value to it.”
At the early mass in Cologne Cathedral, all churchgoers were searched by the police
© Roberto Pfeil / DPA
How should churchgoers behave?
Visitors to Cologne Cathedral must be prepared for extensive security measures. The Police will be present and there are a lot of riot police on site, police spokesman Baldes told the channels NTV and Welt TV on Sunday morning. The police will ensure that “all people are subjected to checks”.
The police called on people to arrive early and not to bring any bags into the cathedral so that the checks do not take an unnecessarily long time. There are many officers on site who “actually had Christmas Eve off,” said Baldes. “But this is about the safety of the people in Cologne.” It will therefore be a “very busy time” for the police.
Is there an increased risk situation for all of Germany?
A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said that there is currently an increased threat in the area of Islamist terrorism. “The federal and state security authorities are therefore acting with the greatest vigilance and taking the threat of Islamist terrorism very seriously,” he emphasized. The security authorities used all legal, police and intelligence means “to identify and prevent possible attack plans.”