Migrants who carried out attacks on women in Cologne New Year's Eve demonstratively tore up their passports and claimed that the police had no right to detain them as they arrived in Germany at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the newspaper wrote, citing the report of a German policeman who was deployed in the city center when the assaults started.
Perpetrators who were described as men of "Arab and North African origin" gathered in the center of Cologne while strongly intoxicated. They threw firecrackers and bottles into the crowd, robbing and sexually assaulting women.
After assessing the situation, the police decided to evacuate people from the most dangerous areas, but the men broke into groups and continued to commit crimes in various parts of the city.
Migrants, feeling their impunity, reportedly showed utter disrespect towards the police. Attackers tore their IDs in front of the police and said that "tomorrow they will be able to get the new ones."
"I'm from Syria, you have to be friendly with me! I was invited here my Mrs. Merkel," they said.
According to the report, the overall "chaos" could have resulted in injuries and even deaths. Law enforcement in Cologne has received about 100 criminal complaints related to the case.