According to intelligence sources, Cologne, Vienna and Madrid have the greatest chance of Islamist organizations disrupting New Year's Eve celebrations.
German authorities fear a repeat of last year's New Year's Eve riots, when mostly young people with a migrant background rioted in the streets, set cars on fire and attacked uniformed officers.
It should be remembered that almost warlike conditions prevailed in several German cities on New Year's Eve last year.
In Berlin, for example, rioters attacked passers-by and authorities with firecrackers and rockets. In one of Berlin's mainly immigrant neighborhoods, for example, 200 masked youths attacked the arriving firefighters, and their service vehicles were also looted.
The rioters set cars and trash cans on fire, many of them ran wild in the streets with stun guns and shot.
But last year was not the first time that New Year's Eve turned into a riot in Germany. On the night of January 1, 2016, women were harassed and raped en masse in Cologne: they were assaulted by Arab and African men between the ages of 15 and 35, who held them hostage and robbed them.
Already during the Christmas period, the police presence around Cologne Cathedral was huge. Over the weekend, for example, the cathedral was searched with explosive detection dogs. Only the faithful could enter the ceremonies, not tourists, and they too only after strict control.
"The terrorist threat was originally issued for New Year's Eve street parties and various celebrations, but we have already strengthened the security of Cologne Cathedral. There are a lot of people here, partly because it is the most visited cathedral in Europe. But there is also a train station next to the building," said a spokesman for the Cologne police.
According to German press reports, an Islamist group is preparing to carry out an attack in Cologne Cathedral.
The police do not rule out that this could happen on New Year's Eve. The authorities fear that even bigger riots than last year may break out on the last day of the year because of the war with Israel.
"The Federal Minister of the Interior is afraid that this year tempers may be even more unleashed, as the conflict in the Middle East is affecting the moods and emotions of the population, mainly of Arab origin. They fear that pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel demonstrations may also develop on New Year's Eve. They are preparing with particularly large forces, here in Berlin, according to the latest news, 3,500 policemen will be present on the streets," the Híradó reported.
Even at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, soldiers armed to the chin with machine guns watch passers-by.
The secret services have already warned that Islamist terrorists are also planning attacks in Cologne, Vienna and Madrid during the holidays.
Anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise throughout Western Europe, and on New Year's Eve they may intensify significantly. The security policy advisor of the Center for Fundamental Rights spoke about this on M1.
"In the past few days, we have seen that anti-Semitic attacks in the big cities of Western Europe have intensified exponentially. Radical Islamists, criminal gangs with a migrant background and far-left radical organizations are coming together in a strange fusion," security policy advisor József Horváth pointed out, stressing that these groups chant anti-Christian and anti-Jewish slogans and make increasingly radical demands.
József Horváth reminded that more than one million illegal immigrants arrived in the European Union this year alone.
He added that in Germany, for example, there are already so many immigrants that it is almost impossible to defend against them with a simple police force if they take to the streets.
Cover image: Cologne Cathedral is Europe's most visited cathedral, whose security is closely guarded by the police
Source: mandiner.hu
