A 30-year-old Tajik man arrested on December 24 in connection with a terrorist threat to Cologne Cathedral remains in custody two weeks after his arrest, police in the western German city said on Sunday.

The man was arrested in the town of Wesel, some 100 kilometres north of Cologne after a police special unit searched a residence there, initially taking five men into custody.

The original police statement said he would be detained for two weeks. Cologne police were to provide information on the reasons for continuing to hold the man in custody later.

A week ago on New Year’s Eve, police arrested a 41-year-old in the western German city of Bochum also in connection with a possible attack on the iconic cathedral. The man has both German and Turkish citizenship.

Three other men arrested on New Year’s Day were released on the instructions of a court.