The police arrested five men on Sunday during a search of an apartment in the city of Wezel, about a hundred kilometers north of Cologne. Four of them were released, while a 30-year-old Tajik remained detained to “avert danger,” it said. A court extended the detention until January 7.
The police had little information about the man. “We are using all legal options to protect the people, the cathedral and the New Year’s Eve celebrations,” Cologne police chief Michael Esser said in a short statement.