Security circles
Possible attack plans: Police increase protection at Cologne Cathedral
Police officers check the start of early mass on Christmas Day at the entrance to Cologne Cathedral. photo
© Roberto Pfeil/dpa
The police investigated Cologne Cathedral with a large contingent on the day before Christmas Eve. The reason: The cathedral may be a target of attacks by Islamists. However, no explosives have been found so far.
Security checks at the entrance, police vehicles in front of the cathedral: Shortly before the Christmas services Police significantly increased security measures at Cologne Cathedral.
According to dpa information, the security authorities had received information about a possible attack plan by an Islamist group on the cathedral and a church in Vienna. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul made it clear that people should not be deterred from attending church because the protection provided by the authorities is working.
Police officers checked visitors to the cathedral, as a dpa reporter reported. The police were also present in front of it with officers and around a dozen vehicles. According to the church, tourist visits were not possible. On Saturday evening, the police had already searched the cathedral with sniffer dogs, but said they found nothing unusual.
The police also increased security measures in Vienna. In Austria, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution arrested four people on Saturday while investigating 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 said in response to a dpa request. For tactical reasons, further details cannot be given at the moment. The “Bild” also reported on an arrest in Germany. However, there was initially no confirmation of this.
According to dpa information, the suspicious group could possibly have a connection to an offshoot of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network, which calls itself the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISPK) and has been involved in an armed conflict with militant Islamists in Afghanistan for several years Taliban fights.
Note referred to New Year’s Eve
Cologne police spokesman Wolfgang Baldes said: “We received a tip about a dangerous situation around Cologne Cathedral, possibly also for Cologne Cathedral, which referred to New Year’s Eve.” He did not want to comment on who gave the tip. Nothing will be said about the findings with a view to further undercover investigations.
At the same time, the Cologne police made it clear that the increased security measures at the cathedral would continue for some time. “We now have to see how quickly we can actually get this information verified. It is certain that as long as a dangerous situation cannot be ruled out, we will of course continue to take these measures,” said Baldes. The police still have very busy days ahead.
Appeal: still celebrate Christmas
Despite the precautionary measures, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Reul advised not to forego visiting church at Christmas for fear of an attack. “Our authorities are using all their findings to protect us as best as possible. This is now shown by the measures in Cologne,” emphasized Reul and added: “My appeal: go to church, celebrate Christmas. Fear is the currency of terrorists. We They are not allowed to add additional value.”
The church and the police advised people to come to the service a little earlier in view of the controls. Cathedral provost Guido Assmann said in an interview on cathedral radio that he would not let his joy be taken away from him. “I believe that all those who might want to make a threat or do something against our free state or against religious freedom would say, ‘We have won’, if there is fear.” He emphasized: “The fact that we live in a constitutional state that protects religious freedom, that protects people when they want to come to church services, that protects everyone, I think that is a very, very great good. And that is what we are experiencing here.”
Reul: “We are not defenseless”
NRW Interior Minister Reul explained the actions of the security authorities: “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,” he said. “But we are not defenseless,” added the CDU politician.
Since the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7th, fears have been increasing that attacks could also occur in Germany. According to the police there, the terror alert level in Austria remains elevated. The additional precautionary measures served to maintain general safety in Austria.