18 asylum seekers tied to attacks on women in Germany

Elsewhere Swiss police have said several women were also robbed and sexually assaulted in Zurich on New Year's Eve in attacks "a little bit similar" to those reported in Cologne.

Yesterday it emerged that the police in Cologne simply could not cope with the outbreak of violence and sexual assaults that occurred in the city on New Year's Eve.

Yesterday, Cologne police chief Wolfgang Albers was relieved of his duties following criticism of his handling of the violent clashes.

Earlier in the week, German police said they had identified 32 people who were suspected of playing a role in the Cologne attacks of whom 22 were asylum seekers. Those suspects are believed to have primarily been involved in thefts and assaults but not the sexual attacks on women.

The suspects include nine Algerians, eight Moroccans, four Syrians, five Iranians, two Germans and one each from Iraq, Serbia and the US.

Local media reported this week that around 1,000 men, mostly Arab and North African refugees, divided themselves into smaller groups at Cologne's central station on New Year's Eve.

The Turkish government has undertaken a number of measures, though efforts to scale back illegal migration over the waters of the Aegean Sea to Greece were "not yet satisfactory", Merkel said.

Although authorities have said there are no indications that the perpetrators of the assaults were asylum seekers, critics of Merkel's open-door approach to those fleeing war have seized on the opportunity to draw a link. There were two allegations of rape.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel has responded to the attacks saying she wants stricter asylum laws.

Police were, on Wednesday, accused of acting slowly over the assaults because of political correctness, the Daily Telegraph reports.

"I simply can not accept it when I only get information from the media about the investigation into the New Year's Eve attacks, especially information about the origins of the groups of suspected assailants".

The North Rhine-Westphalia state police have recorded 170 complaints of crimes, 117 of which involve sexual assault.

Speaking at a meeting of the Christian Democrats on Saturday, Mrs Merkel said: "If a refugee flouts the rules, then there must be consequences, that means that they can lose their residence right here regardless of whether they have a suspended sentence or a prison sentence". "I have to say that, for me, we must take it away sooner".

"We must examine again and again whether we have already done what is necessary in terms of... deportations from Germany in order to send clear signals to those who are not prepared to abide by our legal order", Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday.

Welcoming the fact that large numbers of alleged victims have come forward, Merkel said there were "very serious questions that go beyond Cologne" for Germany.