Extremistically secured - investigators storm Blue Mosque in Hamburg
Nationwide Raid Against Radical Islamists: Germany's "Blue Mosque" in Hamburg under Scrutiny
A nationwide raid against radical Islamists was launched by law enforcement agencies in Hamburg and other German states in the morning. According to ntv-reports, the raids were initiated based on a request from the Federal Interior Ministry. The focus of the search operations is the Blue Mosque located at the Hamburg Außenalster.
The mosque is suspected of functioning as an arm of the Mullah regime in Iran in Germany. The "Islamic Center Hamburg" (IZH), the mosque's trustee organization, is considered extremist by constitutional protectors. The IZH has been under observation by the Hamburg Constitutional Protection since 1993. Since 2017, it has been classified as an "instrument of the Iranian state leadership."
Among the targets of the nationwide raid are also partial and sub-organizations. Authorities suspect that the IZH supports the banned activities of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. An investigative proceeding against the "Islamic Center Hamburg" has been ongoing for months. "These Islamists at the Außenalster want to introduce a society based on Sharia law," explained Marco Haase, press spokesperson for the Hamburg Constitutional Protection, in the spring to ntv. "In such a society, many fundamental rights would not apply and that's why they are under observation."
"Time for IZH has run out"
A raid on the Blue Mosque and 54 other objects in Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, and North Rhine-Westphalia took place on November 16, 2023. Hamburg's Senator for the Interior Andy Grote hinted that a ban proceeding against the IZH had apparently advanced significantly: "The nationwide raids with a focus on Hamburg are a hard blow against the IZH, whose time has clearly run out," Grote stated last year.
For the security authorities, such a ban proceeding is always a narrow tightrope, said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser at the time. She emphasized that the investigations always clearly targeted Islamic extremism: "We are not acting against a religion or another state," Faeser said. Seized during the raid at the Blue Mosque in Hamburg in the previous year were, among other things, cash, mobile phones, laptops, and a ton-heavy safe.
- The Federal Interior Ministry requested a nationwide raid against suspected radical Islamist groups, including the Blue Mosque in Hamburg, which is believed to be an arm of the Iranian regime.
- Hezbollah's suspected partial and sub-organizations were also among the targets of the raid, as authorities suspect them of supporting the banned activities of Hezbollah militia.
- Hamburg's Senator for the Interior, Andy Grote, stated that the nationwide raids were a significant blow to the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), suggesting that a ban proceeding against the organization may be imminent.
- German Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized that the investigations are targeting Islamic extremism, not a religion or another state, while the raid at the Blue Mosque in Hamburg led to the seizure of various items, such as cash, mobile phones, laptops, and a ton-heavy safe.
