Harrowing holiday
Cologne police initially failed to mention attacks and instead described evening as largely peaceful
More women say they were sexually assaulted and robbed during New Year’s Eve celebrations in the German city of Cologne, as police face growing criticism over their handling of the incidents.
More women came forward on Wednesday alleging they were sexually assaulted and robbed during New Year’s Eve celebrations in the German city of Cologne, as police faced mounting criticism for their handling of the incident.
At least 106 criminal complaints have been filed since last week, Cologne police spokesman Christoph Gilles said. The figure has increased from 90 since Tuesday.
“At least three quarters have a sexual component. In two cases we are investigating crimes that amount to rape,’’ Gilles said.
About 1,000 men described by police as being of “Arab or North African origin” gathered around Cologne’s main station, next to the city’s famous cathedral, on the night from Thursday to Friday. Smaller groups then surrounded individual women, harassed them and stole their belongings.
Police initially failed to mention the assaults, describing the festivities as “largely peaceful”.
Details of the attacks only emerged over the weekend and calls have grown for a comprehensive review of police actions on the night, after some witnesses claimed that officers didn’t stop the attackers.
Gilles said police were well prepared on the night, but “surprised” by the scale and aggression of the attacks.
Mayor Henriette Reker said she expected police to analyze what went wrong and “draw consequences from that”.
Ralf Jaeger, North Rhine Westphalia state’s interior minister, said he expected a detailed report from Cologne police this week on who knew what when.
“The Cologne police force must clear up meticulously what happened where and when, what police could know and evaluate when and where, and what measures have to be taken.”
Gilles, the police spokesman, said the city has 10 officers working on the attacks and four men have been detained.
Among the angles police are investigating is whether there are any links to similar crimes committed over the past two years in the nearby city of 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 didn’t say how many. He declined to say whether there have been any arrests in those cases.