Christmas Eve worshippers to face security screening at Cologne cathedral

A police vehicle is parked in front of the cathedral in Cologne, Germany (Sascha Thelen/dpa via AP)

Cologne police acting on indications of a possible attack searched Germany’s landmark cathedral with sniffer dogs on Saturday and said worshippers attending Christmas Eve Mass would undergo security screening before being allowed in.

In Austria, police in Vienna also said they were taking heightened security measures around churches and Christmas markets, deploying both uniformed and plainclothes officers.