German police on Sunday detained three more suspects in an alleged Islamist plot to attack Germany’s famed Cologne Cathedral on New Year’s Eve. The attackers had reportedly planned to use a car to attack the 800-year-old Gothic edifice by the Rhine River.
The method of the planned attack was unclear, but an underground car park below the cathedral had been searched with explosives sniffer dogs overnight, he told reporters. “The three people are now securely in custody, which we are very glad about since they can no longer communicate with each other,” Cologne police director Frank Wissbaum told a news conference, according to Reuters.
Police said they found evidence late on Saturday that linked the three to a 30-year-old Tajik man with alleged ties to the Islamic State militant movement, who has been in custody since December 24. German authorities were continuing their investigation into what he termed a “network of individuals” from Central Asia with links to several German states and European countries.
No details were given on the identity or background of the people now in custody. The suspects were detained in the western cities of Duisburg, Herne and Noervenich, police said, and communications devices were seized during searches of their apartments.
Security has been stepped up in and around the cathedral ahead of a New Year’s Eve service. Police warned the public not to be concerned if they saw officers carrying machine guns and body armour. Thousands of extra police are also patrolling in Berlin, where celebrations last year were overshadowed by violent clashes, with revelers barracking first responders attempting to reach the sick.
Police in the capital are also on guard after a pro-Palestinian solidarity demonstration scheduled for midnight was banned. Many Muslims in Germany are unhappy with the support shown for Tel Aviv in its war against Hamas. European security officials, in late November and again in December, underscored a growing risk of attacks linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict, warning about the threat posed by potential “lone wolf” attacks.
This caution is fueled by recent Islamist militant attacks in France and Belgium have prompted increased terrorism threat levels in several European countries. Last month, the European Union’s home affairs commissioner warned that Europe faces a “huge risk of terrorist attacks” due to the fallout from the latest Middle East war.
(With agency inputs)
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