Nationwide raid against Islamists
As part of a raid against the Islamic Center Hamburg, dozens of buildings across Germany have been searched since the early hours of the morning and hundreds of police officers have been deployed. The association is classified as Islamist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
As part of investigations into the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), 54 properties in seven federal states were searched in the early hours of this morning. This was announced by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that the IZH had long been under observation by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and was classified as Islamist. More than 500 police officers are on duty.
"The IZH is suspected of being directed against the constitutional order and against the idea of international understanding and thus of fulfilling the grounds for prohibition under Article 9 Paragraph 2 of the Basic Law and Section 3 Paragraph 1 of the Associations Act," writes the Federal Ministry of the Interior. "In order to further clarify this suspicion and to secure evidence, a total of 54 properties in seven federal states have been searched since 6.00 a.m. this morning by order of the competent administrative courts."
The security authorities are also investigating the suspicion that the IZH supports the activities of the Lebanese terrorist organization "Hizb Allah", which is banned in Germany. The other associations are suspected of being sub-organizations of the IZH.
"Islamist scene in our sights"
"We have the Islamist scene in our sights. Especially now, at a time when many Jews feel particularly threatened, we generally do not tolerate Islamist propaganda or anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement," said Interior Minister Faeser. "Right now, we need to be highly vigilant and take tough action. That is why we are resolutely investigating every well-founded suspicion."
Last November, the parties in the traffic light government had already called on the Federal Ministry of the Interior to "examine whether and how the Islamic Center Hamburg can be closed down as a hub for the Iranian regime's operations in Germany". The Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution regards the IZH as an outpost of Tehran. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution assumes that the IZH exerts a great deal of influence over certain mosques and associations, including complete control. "Within these circles, a clear anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli attitude can often be detected, which is also propagated in various media channels," writes the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
The raid against the Islamist group, identified as the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), extended beyond Hamburg, with searches conducted in multiple federal states. This was confirmed by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, led by Minister Nancy Faeser, who classified the IZH as Islamist and cited concerns about its support for the banned Lebanese terrorist organization "Hizb Allah".
In her pursuit of curbing the influence of Islamist propaganda and anti-Semitic sentiments, Minister Faeser emphasized, "We have the Islamist scene in our sights, especially at a time when many Jews feel threatened." She further mentioned that the government is closely examining the potential closure of the IZH as a hub for Iran's operations in Germany, following calls from political parties and the Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution's labeling of the IZH as an outpost of Tehran.
Source: www.ntv.de
