3 suspects in Cologne attacks but no arrests
Print Edition
GERMAN police have identified three suspects in connection with attacks on women at New Year celebrations in the city of Cologne, the interior minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia said yesterday.
About 90 women reported being robbed, threatened or sexually molested at New Year celebrations outside the city’s cathedral by young, mostly drunk, men, police said on Tuesday, in events they described as “a new dimension in crime.”
The police chief in Cologne has said the perpetrators appeared to be of “Arab or North African” origin, prompting right-wing groups to condemn the government for its welcoming stance toward refugees.
Government officials have cautioned against putting foreigners and refugees under “blanket suspicion” because of the assaults.
Police said the attacks occurred when about 1,000 men split into gangs as officers cleared a square to stop fireworks being thrown from the top of steps into the crowd below.
NRW Interior Minister Ralf Jaeger told a news conference no arrests had yet been made. He declined to give further details of the investigation but said he expected “a very detailed report” from the police this week.
Around 150 people gathered in front of the cathedral on Tuesday evening to protest against violence against women. One held a sign saying: “Ms Merkel where are you? What do you say? This scares us!”
Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed shock at the attacks.
Meanwhile, police are investigating whether there is a link to a criminal network in nearby Duesseldorf.
They said some of the assaults in Cologne appeared similar to incidents that have been reported over the past two years in Duesseldorf, where men have groped women to distract them before stealing their belongings. The two cities are 40 kilometers apart.
Markus Niesczeri, a spokesman for Duesseldorf police, said that since the start of 2014, officers there have identified more than 2,000 suspects of North African origin in connection with organized thefts, though he did not say how many. He declined to say whether there had been any arrests.
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