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      German Officials: 18 Asylum Seekers Suspected in New Year's Attacks

   by VOA News

   Germany's interior ministry says 18 asylum-seekers were among the
   suspects in a spate of thefts and sexual assaults on women in Cologne
   on New Year's Eve.

   Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate told reporters Friday that police have
   identified by name 31 suspects believed to have taken part in the
   crimes. He said 18 of them have applied for asylum in Germany.

   Plate said of the 31 suspects questioned, there were nine Algerians,
   eight Moroccans, five Iranians, and four Syrians. Other suspects
   included two Germans, an Iraqi, a Serb, and a U.S. citizen.

   Plate also said the vast majority of the 32 criminal acts documented by
   police were tied to theft and bodily injury. Three were tied to sexual
   assaults.

   On Thursday, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said any asylum-seekers
   among the suspects could be deported, if they are tried and sentenced
   to a year or more in prison. That sentence would be possible in the
   case of the sex crimes.

   Arab or N. African origin
   Police say about 1,000 men, most of "Arab or North African origin" had
   gathered near Cologne's main train station around midnight throwing
   fireworks.  After police moved in to break up the revelry, smaller
   groups of men began surrounding women passing through the area, groping
   and harassing them and stealing their belongings.

   A plainclothes police woman says she was among those attacked.

   About 90 people have filed criminal complaints, including one report of
   a rape.

   The DPA news agency reports that three suspects are being investigated.

   Both Justice Minister Maas and Chancellor Angela Merkel have condemned
   the assaults and called for the perpetrators to be punished.

   Police in the German cities of Hamburg and Stuttgart have said similar
   crimes were committed during New Year's Eve festivities, but to a
   lesser extent.

   The assaults have intensified the debate over Germany's immigration
   policies.

   Some 1.1 million people registered as asylum seekers in Germany in
   2015.

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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/german-official-says-18-asylum-seekers-suspected-in-new-year-attacks/3136568.html