Page 9 - ATODAY
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Monday 11 January 2016
Germany: Authorities must probe Cologne assault links
Demonstrators protest against racism and sexism in the wake of the sexual assaults on New Year’s women. about 40 percent of which
Eve, outside the cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Poster at right reads: No violence against wom- “If such a horde gathers involve allegations of sexu-
en. After the sexual assaults around Cologne’s main station on New Year’s Eve, various groups in order to commit crimes, al offenses.
have called for continued demonstrations. that appears in some form They also announced that
to be planned,” Justice on Saturday night they ar-
(Oliver Berg/dpa via AP) Minister Heiko Maas told rested a 19-year-old Mo-
the newspaper Bild. “No- roccan man on allega-
DAVID RISING logne blamed largely on say the attackers were body can tell me that this tions he stole a 23-year-old
Associated Press foreigners may be linked to among about 1,000 peo- was not coordinated or woman’s cellphone on
BERLIN (AP) — German au- similar offenses in other cit- ple, mostly men, gathered prepared.” New Year’s, and had iden-
thorities need to quickly de- ies, the justice minister said at Cologne’s central train The attacks are still being tified 19 other suspects by
termine whether a string of in comments published station, some of whom investigated, but police name. Police said the Mo-
New Year’s Eve sexual as- Sunday. broke off into small groups have said their focus is on roccan, who they said has
saults and robberies in Co- Authorities and witnesses that groped and robbed suspects of primarily North been involved in various
African origin, which has crimes since 2013, isn’t ac-
put pressure on Chancellor cused of a sexual offense
Angela Merkel’s govern- but the investigation is on-
ment and its open-door going.
policy to asylum seekers. In a separate development
Nearly 1.1 million migrants that seemed likely to pro-
arrived in Germany in 2015 vide more grist for oppo-
alone. nents of Merkel’s policies,
She announced a proposal police in the western state
Saturday that would make of North Rhine-Westphalia
it easier to deport migrants on Saturday raided an
who commit crimes, which apartment at a shelter for
still needs parliamentary asylum-seekers in Reckling-
approval. hausen that they said had
Cologne police said Sun- been occupied by an ex-
day that 516 criminal com- tremist who French police
plaints had now been filed fatally shot on Thursday as
with them in connection he stormed a Paris police
to the New Year’s attacks, station.q
