"Intervening in an Islamist network", Austrian authorities arrested four people on Saturday (December 23rd), the Interior Ministry said. A ministry spokesman later said that of the four, three remained in custody pending further investigations.
Citing "an increased risk", the police have also stepped up controls, particularly around churches, religious ceremonies and Christmas markets in Vienna. "There is no immediate threat of an attack in Vienna," the police spokesman said. On Saturday, Austrian police said in a statement that "terrorist agents in Europe are calling for attacks against Christian events, especially around December 24."
Safety measures taken in Cologne, Germany
At the same time, the German authorities announced that they had stepped up security measures in and around Cologne Cathedral, one of the most visited in the country, due to a security risk linked to a threat described as "Islamist". Worshippers attending Christmas services must undergo strict controls at the entrance.
"We all enjoy our Christmas traditions and we don't let ourselves be intimidated," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told regional news group Funke on Sunday. "But we take the Islamist terrorist threat very seriously and are extremely vigilant," she added, "our security services monitor Islamist circles and act accordingly, as shown by the ongoing measures."
Christmas Masses in Cologne, Vienna and Madrid targeted
According to the website of the German daily Bild on Saturday, security services in Austria, Germany and Spain have received indications that an Islamist group wants to carry out several attacks in Europe, possibly on New Year's Eve and Christmas. According to the newspaper, the targets of the attacks could be Christmas masses in Cologne, Vienna and Madrid. He also claims that one person has been arrested in Germany.
According to Bild, those arrested are Tajiks suspected of carrying out attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in Khorasan (IS-K), the local branch of IS in Afghanistan. Searches with sniffer dogs carried out by police on Saturday evening in Cologne Cathedral did not result in the discovery of any suspicious objects.
In July, a cell of suspected ISIS-K Islamists was dismantled in Germany and the Netherlands. Those arrested in Germany were suspected of planning to carry out an attack in the country.