A number of women who reported being threatened, robbed or sexually assaulted in Cologne on New Years Eve have spoken out about their ordeal. Police say 90 women were attacked and robbed outside the cathedral on 31 December.
Speaking on German television, one woman who wished to remain anonymous, said: I thought to myself that if we stay here in this crowd they could kill us, they could rape us and nobody would notice. I thought we simply had to accept it. There was no one around us who helped or was in a position to help. All I wanted was to get out.
Authorities have identified three suspects in connection to the attacks, although no arrests have been made.
Evelin, another victim of the mass attacks, said: We wanted help. We ran to these police cars but there was no one there. We know very well that the police at that moment were so understaffed that they couldnt deal with this, that we women had to go through something like that.
Officials have warned against putting foreigners and refugees under blanket suspicion after the assaults. German anti-Muslim group Pegida held a rally outside the Cologne train station after the attacks.
