Over 2,000 Men Assaulted German Women on NYE, Police Identified 120 - Leaked Report

© Reuters

At least 2,000 men sexually harassed women on New Year’s Eve across Germany, but it will be impossible to track them all down, police said, adding that the attacks have been linked to mass migration.

Police said there were cases involving over 1,200 women, adding that apart from Cologne, sexual harassment was reported in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart and other cities across Germany.

The report from the Federal Office of Criminal Investigations (BKA) was seen by Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and broadcasters NDR and WDR.

According to the report, at least 642 crimes of a purely sexual nature were reported in Germany. Plus, police registered 239 other “combined crimes” that involved both sexual assault and theft.

Of the 2,000 alleged attackers, only 120 have been identified so far, according to police reports. Many of the attacks were carried out in large groups.

“We need to assume that many of the perpetrators will not be investigated,” BKA President Holger Münch said, as cited by the paper.

According to police estimates, most of the identified offenders came from North Africa and over a half of the attackers had spent less than a year in Germany.

"In this respect, there is a connection between the occurrence of the phenomenon and the strong levels of immigration in 2015," Münch said, adding that there was no evidence the attacks had been somehow organized.

Not being organized means that this is a way of life for many Muslim men. Changing that mind-set is not going to be easy. Germany has changed because of the threat of sexual violence against girls and women, and that change is directly related to the migration of Muslims. It will only get worse before it gets better, if it gets better.

Cologne was the city where the majority of women were sexually abused - some 650, followed by Hamburg where over 400 women suffered, a police report said.

Since January 2016, the scandal of asylum seekers reportedly sexually harassing local women has been gathering momentum. Many of the victims, apart from being sexually harassed, said they were robbed.

In April, the latest report by the local branch of the German Interior Ministry said that almost all the suspects involved in the Cologne New Year attacks were from outside Germany, and two-thirds of them came from Morocco or Algeria.

In June, two men were found guilty of sexual assault on New Year’s Eve in Cologne and were given probationary sentences. The court said it was evident that one man, named as Hussein A., kissed a young woman against her will. Another man, an Algerian national, was a part of a group that sexually harassed women.

German media reported that two more men were found guilty of sexual assault charges in Düsseldorf and Nürtingen.

An overwhelming 1.1 million asylum seekers came to the country in 2015, and Germans are concerned about the future: 81 percent of the country’s citizens say the migrant crisis is “out of control” under Chancellor Angela Merkel’s authority, according to a February poll.

Disturbing, First-hand Account of the Terror on New Years Eve in Cologne, Germany

Victim gives first-hand account of her sexual assault at the hands of Muslim refugees in Cologne, Germany

A new video has surfaced of a woman who was victimized by Muslim refugees on New Years Eve in Cologne.

26-year-old Selena wanted to tell her story and expose what happened. 

In an interview, she reveals that she, along with her women were called 'bitches and whores'. 

“They all looked at us like we were free meat at the supermarket, fair game,” she said. “Meat, checking to see if it's still fresh.” 

“There were hands that touched us, our butts and other parts on our bodies. It was simply undescribable. Never in my life before was I so afraid,” Selena added.

“I can tell you they were southern-looking. Southern type, darker skin, they spoke Arabic overwhelmingly,” she said to describe her attackers. “With German, if you spoke German, you didn't get anywhere.”

She goes on to say that the police didn't have a grip on the situation at all and the police looked afraid. Her attackers couldn't understand her because they didn't speak German.

It takes a lot of bravery to come out with information like this. Selena's information should not be taken lightly.

Thank you for the courage to speak out, Selena. You are my hero today! God bless you and keep you safe.


Tarrahush Gamea

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the main investigative authority in Germany, said in a response to Welt newspaper it knows sexual harassment of women in public is widespread in Arab countries, and that this is exactly what happened on New Year’s Eve in Cologne. Collective harassment is translated as “taharrush gamea” (حرش جماعي).

"Such crimes are committed by groups of young men… mostly when there are large gatherings of people, such as demonstrations. They range from sexual harassment to rape," the BKA told Welt.

“Taharrush gamea” is recognized in Egypt, where it stands for “lighter” sexual abuse or gang rape. A recent study suggests Egyptian crowds practiced “taharrush” during the 2011 revolution that toppled then-President Hosni Mubarak, and it took more violent forms like rape during mass unrest in Tahrir Square. 

So far, the number of criminal cases filed with the Cologne police has grown to 516 - 40 percent of which relate to sexual assaults. Local police said that 19 suspects are under investigation, while in Hamburg police are investigating 133 cases relating to assaults during New Year’s celebrations in the St. Pauli district.

Taharrush Gamea in Tahrir Square, Cairo - Islamic insanity

Not Just Germany Reporting Mob Sex Abuse on New Years Eve

Cologne police chief removed after New Year's Eve attacks

From BBC Europe

The assaults on women led to an increased police presence
outside the station next to Cologne cathedral

The head of Cologne's police force is leaving his post "to restore public trust in the police" following scores of attacks on women in the city on New Year's Eve.

The police's handling of the night's events has been sharply criticised.

The violence outside the main railway station has sparked a debate about Germany's open door policy on migrants.

The anti-immigration Pegida group has said it will hold a demonstration in Cologne on Saturday. Police are expecting around 1,000 people to gather in front of the city's main train station, German media reports say.

Gangs of men described as of North African and Arab appearance were reported to be behind the attacks on New Year's Eve. A group of about 1,000 had gathered at the station in the western city.

Victims described chaos as dozens of sexual assaults and robberies were carried out with little apparent response from the authorities.

A man is led away by police officers at the main train station in
Cologne, Germany (early 01 January 2016) Image copyrightEPA

Police did make some arrests in the early hours of New Year's Day. Federal authorities say they have identified 18 asylum-seekers among 31 suspects linked to crimes committed in Cologne on New Year's Eve.

The suspects include nine Algerians, eight Moroccans, four Syrians, five Iranians, two Germans and one each from Iraq, Serbia and the US.

The state interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ralf Jaeger said on Friday that he had suspended police chief Wolfgang Albers from his duties. He has been accused of holding back information about the attacks, in particular about the origin of the suspects.

Mr Jaeger said the removal would not affect the investigation into the events of 31 December.

"People rightly want to know what happened on New Year's Eve, who the perpetrators are and how such events can be prevented in future," he said.

Discomfort under the surface :German media reaction

Debating rules on deporting criminals is a distraction, writes Heribert Prantl in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The law already provides for the deportation of criminal refugees, he says - the problem is the mistakes made by the police on the night and their inability to enforce the law.

Writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeiner Zeitung, Christian Geyer largely agrees. Whether or not Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis with asylum seeker status were among the perpetrators changes nothing in the debate, he writes. The questions for the police and justice system remain the same.

And while Chancellor Merkel's asylum policies are controversial, she doesn't need the help of favourable police reports, he adds.

Chancellor Merkel's friendly face is gone, writes Philipp Wittrock in Der Spiegel. The chancellor recognised that the events in Cologne had the potential to sow mistrust, divide society, and damage her political standing.

Discomfort in her own party at her welcoming asylum seekers continues to bubble under the surface, he writes.

Women describe 'terrible' assaults
"Twenty or 30 men surrounded us and we couldn't even move anymore"

The federal police is responsible for the station itself but not the area nearby.

Separately, Cologne police are investigating 21 people in connection with the sexual assaults. It is not known how many of these are asylum seekers.

The state police have recorded 170 complaints of crimes, 117 of which involve sexual assault. There were two allegations of rape.

Two men, aged 16 and 23 and apparently of North African origin, arrested overnight on Thursday in connection with the sex attacks, have been released without charge, according to German media.

Police Chief Wolfgang Albers (right) went after criticism from
Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker

'Clear signals'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned the violence, saying Germany should examine whether enough was being done to ensure foreigners convicted of crimes in the country are deported.

She said "clear signals" had to be sent to those not prepared to abide by German law.

In a separate case, police have arrested four Syrians, aged between 14 and 21, over the suspected gang rape of two teenage girls in the southern German town of Weil am Rhein on New Year's Eve, according to German media.

The attack is not believed to be connected to the events in Cologne, the police statement said.

Young men gather outside Cologne's main station on 31 Dec CopyrightAP
Police say women were forced to "run the gauntlet" through
gangs of drunk and aggressive men

The identification of the attackers in Cologne as North African or Arab in appearance has caused alarm in Germany because of the influx of more than a million migrants and refugees in the past year.

There has also been outrage outside Germany, with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico calling for an extraordinary EU summit on the influx of migrants.

Politicians were continuing "to trivialise - even after the attacks in Cologne and other European cities - the security risks associated with unregulated and uncontrolled migration within the EU," he said.

Meanwhile German officials have warned that anti-immigrant groups have been trying to use the attacks to stir up hatred.

Elsewhere in Europe

Similar attacks to those seen in Cologne were also reported in Hamburg and in Stuttgart.

Police in several other European countries have also received complaints:

In Finland, police said they received reports of "widespread sexual harassment" in Helsinki on New Year's Eve, which they described as "a completely new phenomenon"

Police in the Swedish city of Kalmar have arrested two men over complaints by at least 15 women of sexual molestation

Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner pledged that police would take a "no tolerance" approach towards sexual assault after complaints of attacks in the city of Salzburg

Police in the Swiss city of Zurich said about six women had reported being robbed and sexually assaulted on New Year's Eve in attacks "a little bit similar" to those in Germany

Social media responses

"I feel so ashamed" - Anger on Arab-language social media

Facebook user Israa Ragab: "Every time I watch the TV and hear them saying the suspects could be from North Africa or Arabs I feel so ashamed and disgusted"

Deutsche Welle Arabic journalist Nahla Elhenawy: "The ugliness of our region is reaching Germany"

@Farcry99 on Twitter: "Will Europe regret receiving people who suffer from religious and political repression?"

Cologne Attacks: German Police Say New Year's Assaults May Be Linked to Criminal Network

About 90 people filed complaints related to string of sexual assaults and thefts during Dec. 31 celebrations

The Associated Press

Women hold up placards that read 'Mrs. Merkel: Where are you? What are you saying? This worries us!' during a protest in front of the Cologne Cathedral. About 90 people have reported being robbed, threatened or sexually molested during New Year's celebrations in the German city. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)

Germany says nearly 1.1 million people registered as asylum-seekers in 2015

Police in Germany said Wednesday they are investigating whether a string of sexual assaults and thefts during New Year's celebrations in Cologne is linked to a known criminal network in the nearby city of Duesseldorf.

The assaults last week have prompted outrage in Germany and a fresh debate about immigration, after police said the perpetrators appeared to be of "Arab or North African origin."

Cologne cathedral

A more nuanced picture of what happened in the New Year's Eve chaos outside the Cologne train station emerged Wednesday.

Police said about 1,000 men gathered there and that smaller groups surrounded individual women, harassed them and stole their belongings. Police do not believe all 1,000 men were involved in the attacks.

The interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, where Cologne and Duesseldorf are located, told news agency dpa that police have identified three suspects but have not yet arrested anyone.

About 90 people filed criminal complaints, though police have not said how many of them were women who were sexually assaulted. At least one woman said she was raped.

Police said some of the assaults in Cologne appeared similar to incidents that have been reported over the past two years in Duesseldorf, where men have groped women to distract them before stealing their belongings. The two cities are 40 kilometres apart.

Markus Niesczeri, a spokesman for Duesseldorf police, said that since the start of 2014, officers there have identified more than 2,000 suspects of North African origin in connection with organized thefts, though he did not say how many. He declined to say whether there have been any arrests in those cases.

Duesseldorf police were working closely with their counterparts in Cologne to determine whether crimes in the two cities might be connected, Niesczeri said.

Authorities have cautioned that the nationality and residency status of the Cologne suspects is still unknown, since no one has been arrested.

Germany registered nearly 1.1 million people as asylum seekers last year, according to Interior Ministry figures released Wednesday, and politicians who have called for limits on migration have seized on the incident in Cologne to bolster their position.

Germany's top security official stressed that those involved must be punished regardless of where they come from. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that "you cannot draw a general suspicion against refugees from the indications that they were perhaps people who looked North African."

He added that "a bit of patience is necessary to clear up as completely as possible the structure of the perpetrators and the organizational structures there might have been," including whether there was any link to similar, smaller-scale incidents on New Year's Eve in Hamburg.

De Maiziere noted that, under German law, criminal behavior has a direct effect on a person's asylum proceedings if he or she is sentenced to at least three years in prison. He said that "we will have to talk about whether that needs to be changed."

In any case, "anyone who commits serious crimes, whatever status he is in, must reckon with being deported from Germany," de Maiziere said.