Cologne fans arrested for violence after game

Cologne police on Tuesday said that they were treating Monday night's incidents seriously, telling the local Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper that the planned attack on a supporters' bus demonstrated a "new quality" of violence. 

The hooligans launched their attack on the bus even though it had a police escort, according to police spokesman Andre Fassbender. Typically, he said, hooligans would steer clear of the police when trying to target other groups of fans. 

Six cars were seized in the night and 28 people taken into custody. Police also found "dangerous items" in the vehicles, including mobile phones, drugs and pyrotechnics. Police were also checking up on a further 150 to 200 people, including some suspected of defying a stadium ban to attend the game. 

The hooligans had been lying in wait on a major road in the city, close to the on-ramp to the A1 Autobahn to Berlin. When the bus came to a halt in traffic, they advanced, hurling stones and other objects. Police said that they were able to fend off the attack despite being outnumbered. 

It's not entirely clear who exactly was sat in the bus, and whether any Union Berlin fans seeking a fight were on board. It is by no means unheard of for groups of hooligans to coordinate and willingly arrange violent meetings after matches. 

Cologne police were set to hold a press conference on the night's events later on Tuesday.

msh/jt (dpa, SID)