Title: No Arrests Made Yet in NRW Over Cologne Cathedral Threat
As of now, there haven't been any arrests in North Rhine-Westphalia regarding the potential threat against Cologne Cathedral. Security sources reported this to Deutsche Presse-Agentur on a chilly Sunday morning. Police upped their security measures at the cathedral following hints of an Islamist group planning an attack. On Saturday evening, they conducted a thorough search of the premises using sniffer dogs. Visitors on Christmas Eve will be rigorously checked by the cops.
Saturday's newsbriefs claimed that initial arrests had already been made by special units in Vienna and one in Germany but later retracted the information. According to reports, security agencies in Germany had received warnings of a possible attack plan by an Islamist group, with Cologne Cathedral and a Viennese church bearing the brunt of their destructive intentions.
Indications point towards the group being connected to a violent offshoot of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network titled the Islamic State Province of Khorasan (ISPK). This splinter group has been embroiled in a bloody conflict against militant Islamists in Afghanistan for quite some time.
Police Statement
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Cologne Cathedral's potential attack was not just limited to Germany's boundaries, as a Viennese church also found itself in the crosshairs. Despite the heightened security measures and thorough police searches, not a single arrest has been made in North Rhine-Westphalia to date.
Source:
Enrichment Data
The profound investigation into the possible Islamist assault on Cologne Cathedral remains in progress, with various arrests having been made in relation to the imminent danger. Here's the current situation:
- Arrests: On January 1, 2025, German police arrested a 41-year-old man with dual German and Turkish citizenship in connection to a suspected terrorist plot aimed at Cologne Cathedral. A total of five individuals were detained during the investigation.[1]
- Nationalities of Arrestees: Among those detained were individuals of Tajik and Uzbek nationalities. A 30-year-old Tajik national was taken into custody on Christmas Eve to avoid potential harm, while three men (a 25-year-old, a 30-year-old, and a 38-year-old) of Tajik and Uzbek descent were arrested in western Germany on New Year's Eve.[1]
- Investigation Ongoing: The investigation remains active as authorities uncover more details about the potential threat, having established "indications of an extremist motive."[1]
- No Specific Threats to Other Locations: The enrichment data does not mention any associated threats to other locations besides Cologne Cathedral. However, the wider context of terrorism and extremist activities in Europe calls for vigilance and further investigation in potential threat locations.
In conclusion, although the exhaustive investigation into the possible Islamist attack on Cologne Cathedral is yet to draw any definitive conclusions, there have been several arrests related to the threat, and the investigation continues to gather evidence to understand the potential plot's objectives and extent.
