Austrian police identify 6 New Year's Eve groping suspects

VIENNA – Austrian police say they have identified six young men suspected of groping at least 18 women during New Year's Eve festivities in the city of Innsbruck.

Innsbruck police chief Martin Kirchler told reporters Monday that the six are Afghan nationals aged 18 to 22, some of them living in migrants' shelters.

Eighteen women have reported being sexually harassed on New Year's Eve while part of celebratory crowds gathered in Innsbruck. Several women in other Austrian cities have filed similar complaints.

None of the suspects are being named in line with Austrian privacy laws.

Sexual harassment by migrants has become an issue after groups of young men, mostly from North Africa, sexually assaulted or otherwise harassed dozens of women on New Year's Eve in Cologne, Germany, last year.