Yesterday, Cologne police chief Wolfgang Albers was relieved of his duties following criticism of his handling of the violent clashes.
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Asylum seekers are now sent back only if they have been handed a sentence of at least three years and the situation in their countries is not putting their own lives at risk.
German officials have been quick to dispute a link between the alleged crimes in Cologne and the influx of people fleeing civil war in Syria and unrest elsewhere, but many politicians and groups opposed to Merkel’s welcoming position on refugees and migrants have been quick to make the connection.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that if there are asylum-seekers among the people responsible for the spate of thefts and sexual assaults in Cologne, they could be kicked out of the country.
The suspects include nine Algerians, eight Moroccans, four Syrians, five Iranians, two Germans and one each from Iraq, Serbia and the US.
In Finland, police said they received tipoffs on New Year’s Eve that about 1,000 predominantly Iraqi asylum seekers were intending to gather near the main railway station in Helsinki and harass passing women. Merkel said the proposal, which will be discussed with her coalition partners and would need parliamentary approval, would help Germany deport “serial offenders” convicted of lesser crimes.
“As of yesterday, the federal police had determined there were 32 criminal acts on the night, with 31 suspects whose names are known”, Plate said.
The interior minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ralf Jaeger, said his decision to remove Mr Albers would not affect the continuing investigation into the events of 31 December. In addition to the 31 suspects detained by federal officers, city police arrested two men from North Africa, aged 16 and 23, early Friday. Those suspects are believed to have primarily been involved in thefts and assaults but not the sexual attacks on women.
It is thought that a group of Arab and/or African-looking men were behind the “mob attacks” during the New Year’s celebration.
Out of a total of 167 complaints to police of attacks in the cities – around two-thirds of them being described as sexual assault, including two cases of rape – 100 relate to Cologne, and 53 to Hamburg.
The suspension came as authorities said many suspects were asylum seekers. “A group of men would encircle a female victim, close the loop, and then start groping the woman”, said an official speaking on the condition of anonymity, according to DW.
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“What happened on New Year’s Eve are despicable criminal acts that demand decisive answers”, Merkel said after a meeting among the top ranks of her Christian Democratic Union on Saturday.
