Only three out of 58 men arrested in connection with mass sex attack on New Year’s Eve are refugees

He said there was no evidence the attacks were premeditated and believes it was “transmitted through social networks". 

“A few people did in fact say, ‘hey, we’re going to Cologne, there’s going to be a big party’”, he explained. 

Despite this, German far right groups have capitalised on increased feelings of mistrust towards refugees with Pegida using the attacks to stage mass anti-immigration marches through Europe. 

Germany has seen a spike in racially motivated arson attacks on refugees’ homes since the incident with vigilante gangs threatening to “clean up” Cologne. 

The increased animosity has forced Ms Merkel to scale back her welcome towards refugees — in late January she agreed a deal with her coalition partners to speed up deportations of failed asylum seekers and restrict family reunions for people granted partial protection. 

It comes as the police reported 22 cases of sexual assault at the Cologne carnival — including a Belgian TV reporter who was groped live on air by man who appeared to be of European descent.