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Germany news: Police operation in Cologne after shots fired
Police have cordoned off part of southern Cologne, reporting multiple shots fired at an apparently empty cafe early in the morning. They did not report casualties but were searching the area for a suspect. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5JfNF Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Cologne police investigate early-morning shooting of empty cafe in south of city center Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is visiting Tunisia and Algeria Hamburg's new, larger Sternbrücke rail bridge opens for business, replacing a predecessor from 1926 German DWD weather service to release preliminary report on one of the hottest summers on record Chancellor Merz warns an AfD government would damage Saxony-Anhalt, with vote on Sunday Welcome to our roundup of news and analysis from and concerning Germany on Monday, August 31.
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08/31/2026 August 31, 2026 Police respond to early-morning shooting in Cologne, seemingly without casualties Police cordoned off parts of several major roads in the south of the city center of Cologne early on Monday, including the Bonner Straße and other roads leading to the Chlodwigplatz square and public transport stop.
They were investigating reports of shots being fired at around 7:30 a.m. outside a cafe, and searching for what they believed to be a lone male suspect. They asked people to avoid the busy area during the morning rush hour.
Police did not report any casualties, but said they found multiple bullet holes in a cafe on Bonner Straße, as well as recovering several shell casings.
Police said they believed a lone suspect had fled the scene on foot. They said they were investigating the possibility of an organized crime connection.
The vibrant area around Chlodwigplatz is a short distance directly south of Cologne's main train station and cathedral, near the left bank of the Rhine River.
Several storefronts in Cologne were shot at during August, according to the local Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper. An unknown suspect or suspects shot at a jewellers on Keupstrasse on August 21, while prior to that a watch store was fired upon twice in a few days.
08/31/2026 August 31, 2026 Welcome to our coverage Mark Hallam | Rana Taha Editor Moin and welcome to our coverage.
It's only a slightly sunny morning here in Bonn, as autumn threatens to emerge after an unusually hot summer — although the DWD German weather service might have something to say about that in its report later today.
Early this morning, a cafe in the western city of Cologne saw shots fired, with police looking for a suspect.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is due to campaign in the eastern state of Saxony Anhalt, ahead of this weekend's state election. On Sunday, Merz had warned that an AfD government would damage the state.
On the diplomatic front, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is visiting Tunisia and Algeria.
This and more is coming up in today's edition of our daily blog on all things Germany. Stay tuned!
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