Cologne on lockdown as Erdogan wraps up ill-tempered visit to Germany

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets people during the official inauguration of the Cologne Central Mosque in Cologne, Germany, September 29, 2018. Kayhan Ozer/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS

COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wrapped up an ill-tempered visit to Germany on Saturday with a visit to Cologne, where a security lockdown kept supporters and protesters away from a ceremony to open the country's largest mosque.

Police snipers were stationed on rooftops and the area was cordoned off after the city authorities cancelled plans for up to 25,000 people to be allowed to gather outside the mosque, built by an Islamic religious organisation that has close ties to the Turkish state.