Updated

German officials say an investigation into a string of sexual assaults and robberies in Cologne over New Year's Eve that fueled a nationwide debate over immigration policies has confirmed that most suspects so far are foreigners.

North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Ralf Jaeger told state parliament in a report Tuesday that of 153 current suspects, 149 are foreigners, the dpa news agency reported. Of them, 103 were from Morocco or Algeria. They include 68 asylum-seekers and 18 people illegally in Germany; the residence status of others is still being determined.

Through the end of March, police received 1,527 criminal complaints, with more than 500 victims alleging sexual crimes.

Three people have already been convicted of thefts, and a 26-year-old Algerian was charged last month with groping a woman.