German police are not ruling out a possible “terror” attack, officials announced at a press conference in Berlin on Monday, following a hostage situation in the main train station in the city of Cologne.
“We are investigating in all directions and not ruling out a possible terror attack.””At 12:42 we received a report about this situation happening in a fast-food restaurant at Cologne central station. To our current knowledge, the suspect allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail into the restaurant area. As a result, a 14 year-old girl was injured – she suffered burns. At the moment she is in a hospital.”
“After that the fire sprinkler system was activated in the restaurant. This was one of the reasons why the suspect left the restaurant and fled to a pharmacy located on the opposite side of the central station, where he took a person hostage. While entering that pharmacy he allegedly said, according to witnesses, that he belonged to the terrorist group DAESH.”
“He blockaded – together with the hostage – in the back part of the pharmacy. We couldn’t see what was happening there from outside. To our current knowledge, he had a fire accelerant and gas cartridges with him.”
“As for the suspect, I cannot provide you with accurate information at the moment. However, in the back part of the pharmacy, where the suspect was holding his hostage, we discovered an ID. That was a residence permit issued in Cologne for a 55 year-old citizen of Syria who received a toleration status until the middle of 2021. We can’t say with absolute certainty that this ID belongs to the person who is receiving an emergency surgery at university hospital at the moment. There is a certain probability of that, but we’re still lacking an absolute certainty.”
“The suspect hasn’t so far been known to police as an active subject in the context of Islamist terrorism, but this person gave tip-offs to the police, as an informant, that caused us to initiate a probe over Islamism with regard to another person, namely the one mentioned by the suspect.”
“To our current knowledge, the suspect made several demands, including free retreat, return of his suitcase and a travel bag left in the fast-food restaurants as well as the release of a Tunisian woman. We don’t know more details for the moment.”