BERLIN (AP) — A top German police official said Tuesday that he doesn’t believe New Year’s Eve assaults in Cologne and elsewhere blamed largely on foreigners were linked to organized crime.
Authorities are looking into whether the robberies and sexual assaults by groups of men in Cologne were coordinated or linked to smaller-scale incidents in other cities.
Holger Muench, the head of Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, told RBB Inforadio that “the same conditions were in place at different locations,” with crowds of people gathering to celebrate the new year.
“I am not saying that there was no organization, but it is not organized crime,” he said. “That would have a different quality for me, we would be talking about … hierarchical groups.”
However, “what we see here is perpetrators communicating with each other and making arrangements … and of course we must recognize better where they do this, how they do this,” Muench said.
The assaults have heightened tensions over Germany’s migrant influx and prompted politicians to consider tougher laws against migrants who commit crimes.
Authorities and witnesses said the New Year’s Eve attackers were among a group of about 1,000 people, described as predominantly Arab and North African men, who gathered at Cologne’s central train station. Some broke off into small groups and groped and robbed women, police said.
Cologne police say 553 criminal complaints have been filed with them in connection to the New Year’s attacks. About 45 percent involve allegations of sexual offenses.
Cologne police say they have identified 23 possible suspects. Separately, 32 suspects have been identified by federal police, who are responsible for train station security.
Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart's Facebook Page.