Police in Switzerland arrest man suspected of being ringleader of the Cologne sex attacks
POLICE in Switzerland have arrested a man they suspect of being one the main ringleaders of the frenzied sex attacks against hundreds of women in Cologne on New Year's Eve.
Police in Switzerland have arrested a man in relation to the Cologne sex attacks on New Year's Eve
POLICE in Switzerland have arrested a man they suspect of being one the main ringleaders of the frenzied sex attacks against hundreds of women in Cologne on New Year's Eve.
The 19-year-old was arrested after he fled from a store where he and a friend were suspected to be in the process of stealing cigarettes and groceries.
Cologne attacks: The horrifying statistics
The pair ran from the premises in Konstanz, Germany, across the nearby border to Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, where they were arrested after a store detective followed them and alerted local police officers.
The pilfered goods were found in the suspected Cologne attacker's rucksack after the arrest on Wednesday.
Hundreds of women were attacked across Cologne by migrant men
Furious Germans clashed with police in the aftermath of the attacks
A check on his identity revealed he was one of the suspected "main suspects" in the frenzied sexual assaults and robberies carried out on hundreds of women on December 31 in and around the main station of Cologne.
Police said that immigrant men, most of them asylum seekers, were responsible for the attacks which caused an earthquake in German attitudes to migrants reflected in a huge surge for anti-immigrant political parties.
The 19-year-old was found to be the target of a Europol arrest warrant for his behaviour in Cologne on the night of the attacks.
Police in Konstanz said they recognised the man from a TV clip of suspects that was circulated to police stations across Germany.
Germany has seen a huge surge in anti-immigrant sentiment following the attacks
He remains on remand in Switzerland as Germany negotiates for his return to face justice in Cologne.