German police have announced a series of of arrests of suspects in the preparation of a terrorist attack in Cologne Cathedral. This was reported by Deutsche Welle, UNN writes .
Details
It is reported that on December 31 the German police detained three people on suspicion of complicity in the preparation the car bombing near Cologne Cathedral.
All three detainees are linked to a Tajik citizen who was arrested on December 24 in Wesel. The Federal Criminal Police Office and the German Federal Intelligence Service believe that a network has formed around this suspect, which covers both some federal states of Germany and a number of European countries,
The investigation has evidence that the group was planning a terrorist attack near the the cathedral using a car. An inspection of the underground parking lot next to the the cathedral showed possible traces of explosives. Now the entrance to and exit from this parking lot is tightly controlled by police. and exit from the parking lot is now tightly controlled by police.
On December 23, the German media reported, citing intelligence services, that the Cologne Cathedral could become the target of a terrorist attack during the New Year holidays.
On December 24, the special services searched an apartment in the city of Vesel and detained five suspects, including a 30-year-old Tajik citizen.
As of December 31, law enforcement officers introduced enhanced security measures around Cologne Cathedral. About 1,000 police officers were involved.
The Cologne Cathedral holds services, but free access to it for tourists is still closed. Usually, during the Christmas and New Year celebrations Year, the cathedral is usually visited by about 100,000 people.