Michelle, a German 18-year-old, has described harrowing ordeal in Cologne in the hands of Arab and African refugees.

                                             

An 18-year-old victim of the sex attacks in Cologne has described being surrounded by a group of 30 'angry' men who groped her and her friends then stole their belongings as they fled.

The teenager, named only as Michelle, appeared on German TV to recount the harrowing ordeal she endured during the city's New Year's Eve celebrations last week.

Police say the wave of attacks - which has so far seen 90 women report being assaulted - were perpetrated by groups of 'Arab or North African' men in the city centre.

Michelle's shocking testimony comes as the city

's own council today admitted its town centre was now a 'no-go area' for women and similar attacks occurred the same night across Hamburg and Stuttgart.

Alarmingly, police in Dusseldorf fear the attacks may be linked to a known criminal gang comprising 2,000 North African men who use sexual assault as a means of distraction.

And while German media and authorities stand accused of covering up previous incidents to avoid stoking tensions, there are fears the upcoming carnival celebrations in Cologne will see a repeat of the brazen attacks.