Turkish-origin youths target German police with intent to kill
The three youths, aged between 15 and 17 years old and all of Turkish descent, who tried to ambush a pair of officers wanted to kill them, steal their weapons and use them to attack U.S. facilities in Germany, authorities said Friday.
The three have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder for their role in the failed attempt in Cologne on Tuesday, city prosecutor Josef Rainer Wolf said.
Wolf said the three faked an emergency phone call in order to lure a 26-year-old female and a 38-year-old male officer into a trap. When the police arrived, the youths opened fire, although the officers later learned it was only with blanks.
The officers responded by firing their own round of blanks, causing the group to scatter, Wolf said. No one was injured.
In statements to police following their arrest, the three said they had hoped to disarm the officers and use their weapons to attack American facilities in Germany, but gave no further details.
Wolf said the three had no previous criminal records, had regularly attended school and were not known to officials for terrorism links. Authorities believe they were influenced by broadcasts of Islamic preachers on the Internet.