German authorities in Cologne detained five French individuals and a Belgian woman after they attempted to scale the city’s renowned cathedral. The church’s security guards alerted the police upon spotting the climbers equipped with headlamps in the middle of the night through surveillance cameras. The police, donning riot gear, surrounded the cathedral with a helicopter overhead until the climbers were apprehended within the tower’s stairwell. The individuals, aged between 18 and 27, with the woman being 26, had their identities withheld in compliance with German privacy laws. Upon searching the premises, the police found a camera, cellphone, and lock pick in their possession, along with evidence of broken doors and climbing gear in their rucksacks. The cathedral, known for its double domes, holds a significant place as a Catholic pilgrimage site and popular tourist spot in Northern Europe, standing as one of Germany’s most renowned places of worship.
