Germany Says Tajik Held On Terrorism Charge To Be Deported To Austria

Police in the German city of Cologne say a Tajik national detained in late December on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack on Cologne Cathedral is wanted in Austria and will be sent there to face charges.

According to the police, the 30-year-old Tajik man will be deported to Austria, where he is suspected of plotting a terrorist attack targeting St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the Prater park, a popular area for families, in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

Police arrested the man, whom some reports identified as Muhammadrajab B., in the town of Wesel, about 100 kilometers north of Cologne, after detaining five people and searching a residence there.

One of the five arrested men was identified as a 25-year-old Tajik man, a resident of the German city of Norvenich.

Muhammadrajab B. is suspected of having links to the Islamic State-Khorasan extremist group.

Read more: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty