Extremist Islamic Association - IZH-Prohibition - Searches also in Munich
In the morning of the nationwide raids to ban the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) in Hamburg, rooms were also searched in Munich. Around 30 policemen entered a building where the Islamic Union Bayern sits, as observed by a reporter from the German Press Agency. The Bavarian Interior Ministry confirmed the search. Additionally, the ministry stated that the residences of the first and second chairmen of the IVB were searched.
The purpose of the searches was - besides solving the case - to secure assets and further evidence, stated the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU). Mostly involved were data carriers, which are now being examined in detail. Approximately 50 enforcement officers were involved in the operation.
The Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) and its affiliated organizations were banned in Germany. To enforce the order, which was published in the Federal Gazette, the police searched the IZH in Hamburg and other buildings in different federal states for the second time within a few months. Last year, searches had also taken place at the IVB in connection with the investigations against the IZH.
Already in November of the previous year, the ministry had searched 54 objects nationwide. Raids took place then in Lower Saxony, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, and North Rhine-Westphalia. Extensive material was seized back then.
The Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) is considered an important propaganda center of the Iranian regime in Europe. The Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution has been observing it since the early 1990s. For years, there have been calls for its closure.
Herrmann welcomed the nationwide ban. "We must effectively prevent extremists from causing mischief under the guise of association law here", he emphasized. "The ban on the IZH and its affiliated organizations is a significant blow against islamist activities in Germany."
- Joachim Herrmann, the Bavarian Interior Minister, mentioned that the searches in Munich were aimed at securing assets and obtaining more evidence related to the case.
- The German Press Agency reported on the search conducted at a building in Munich, which houses the Islamic Union Bayern, during the nationwide raids.
- Besides the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) in Hamburg, searches were also conducted at various buildings in different federal states, including Bavaria, as part of the crackdown on the IZH.
- The Federal Gazette published an order banning the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) and its affiliated organizations in Germany, prompting the police to search the IZH in Hamburg and other locations for the second time within a few months.
- The authorities in Bavaria confirmed the search of the residences of the first and second chairmen of the Islamic Union Bayern (IVB) as part of the nationwide raids to ban the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH).
- Following the searches and the nationwide ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) and its affiliated organizations, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann emphasized the importance of preventing extremists from operating under the guise of association law in Germany.
