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After the riot on New Year's Eve, the Essen police are looking for witnesses.

Previously unknown people destroyed a bus stop, billboards and garbage cans on the Altenessen market, as the police announced in Essen on Saturday.

At least one video of it is circulating on social media.

Anyone who can give information about those involved should contact the police on 0201 8290.

A police spokesman said on Sunday that the first clues had been received.

"But the investigation is still ongoing." The police are dependent on further information.

The Lord Mayor of Essen Thomas Kufen (CDU) praised the police and fire brigade for their quick and energetic response on New Year's Eve.

“We want the perpetrators to be held accountable and punished quickly,” emphasized Kufen.

"We are also dependent on help from the population." Witnesses who had references to the people on the videos were asked to report to the police.

Residents had alerted the police early on Friday at around 0.40 a.m. because around 50 people had devastated the square in the northern part of Essen.

The police arrested four suspected rioters;

after their identity was established, they could walk again.

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A video from the social media that the “WAZ” published on its homepage shows, among other things, how a police car with a siren drives to the square.

The images, backed by rap music, also show a trash can exploding and two people breaking the glass of a bus shelter.

The police spoke of "serious outbreaks of violence".

Shortly before the riot in Altenessen, police officers and firefighters were attacked about five kilometers south of young people with fireworks.

According to the first findings of the police, these were category 4 fireworks that are sold for professional use.

No one was injured, the police said.

A 16-year-old was temporarily arrested according to witnesses.

A spokesman for the Essen police said on Sunday that the Altenessen market was not a particularly noticeable focal point.

After the incidents, the police will now patrol the area more often.

The outbreak of violence on New Year's Eve has received greater attention in the past few days, especially due to the video with music.

Citizens from Altenessen are outraged and concerned.

In particular, the notion that perpetrators go armed with poles to deliberately cause damage is deeply worrying.