German police search Cologne Cathedral after security threat
Al Jazeera
Cologne police chief says sniffer dogs will search building following indications of attack planned for New Year’s Eve.
German police have searched a cathedral in the western city of Cologne amid warnings of a possible attack planned for New Year’s Eve.
Cologne police chief Michael Esser said on Saturday that Cologne Cathedral would be closed and sniffer dogs would be brought in to search the building after the evening mass service.
“Even though the information relates to New Year’s Eve, we are from this evening doing everything we can to ensure the safety of visitors of the cathedral on Christmas Eve,” Esser said in a statement.
Visitors on Sunday will have to undergo security checks before entering the cathedral.
German newspaper Bild reported that authorities in Germany, Austria and Spain have all received indications that an Islamist group was plotting attacks in Europe, with targets possibly including Christmas masses in Cologne, Vienna and Madrid.
