This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/cologne-prosecutor-majority-of-suspects-are-asylum-seekers/2016/02/15/958cbe8c-d3eb-11e5-a65b-587e721fb231_story.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Cologne prosecutor: majority of suspects are asylum seekers Cologne prosecutor: majority of suspects are asylum seekers
(about 2 hours later)
BERLIN — Prosecutors say most suspects in a series of robberies and sexual assaults in Cologne at New Year’s are refugees. BERLIN — Most of the suspects identified in connection with a series of robberies and sexual assaults in Cologne during New Year’s celebrations are refugees, prosecutors said Monday.
Cologne prosecutor Ulrich Bremer says 73 suspects have so far been identified, of whom 12 are linked to sexual assaults. The crimes, described as unprecedented by authorities, sparked uproar in Germany and a heated debate about the country’s ability to integrate almost 1.1 million people who sought asylum there last year.
He says recent reports describing only three of the suspects as refugees are “total nonsense.” Cologne prosecutor Ulrich Bremer said 73 suspects have been identified so far — most of them from North Africa. A total of 1,075 criminal complaints have been filed, including 467 alleging crimes of a sexual nature ranging from insults to rape.
Bremer told The Associated Press on Monday that “the overwhelming majority of persons fall into the general category of refugees.” “The overwhelming majority of persons fall into the general category of refugees,” Bremer told The Associated Press, saying recent reports describing only three of the suspects as refugees were “total nonsense.”
Some entered Germany saying they wanted to apply for asylum, others have formally filed an application. Initially, authorities in Cologne were accused of downplaying the fact that the attackers included many asylum-seekers because of the political sensitivity of the issue.
Among the 15 suspects who are in custody is a Moroccan asylum-seeker who entered Germany in November. The suspects included 30 Moroccan nationals, 27 Algerians, four Iraqis, three Germans, three Syrians, three Tunisians, and one each from Libya, Iran and Montenegro, Bremer said.
A total of 1,075 criminal complaints have been filed, including 467 alleging crimes of a sexual nature ranging from insults to rape. “They have various legal statuses, including illegal entry, asylum-seekers and asylum applicants,” he said of the foreign suspects. “That covers the overwhelming majority of suspects.”
Twelve of the 73 suspects are linked to sexual crimes, though only one of those — a Moroccan asylum-seeker who entered Germany in November — is in custody, he said.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.