Number of Cologne Attacks' Victims Exceeds 1,000 - State Interior Minister

The number of victims of the New Year's Eve attacks in the German city of Cologne has increased to 1,049 people, Interior Minister of North-Rhine Westphalia Ralf Jaeger said in a report published Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Dozens of women in the German city of Cologne were robbed and sexually assaulted on New Year's Eve by groups of aggressive men, mostly of Arab and North African appearance.

According to the report, the investigation has identified 30 suspects. Assailants are 16 to 32 years old, 13 of them are of Moroccan origin, 12 came from Algeria, the rest are non-Germans.

The evidence suggests 15 individuals hold the status of asylum seekers and 11 people might have been residing in Germany illegally. Two people are so-called unaccompanied minors, while another two have a residence permit.

The report also revealed that not only women had been attacked on New Year's Eve in Cologne. Eighteen percent of victims were male.

The mass attacks in Cologne cast doubt on Germany's open-door migration policy.