Police in Germany have conducted raids at 54 sites across the country as part of an investigation into an Islamic centre for alleged links to Iran and the Tehran-backed group Hezbollah.
The Ministry of the Interior said Thursday’s operation primarily targeted the Islamic Centre of Hamburg (IZH) as well as five affiliate groups as hundreds of police conducted raids in seven German states.
“I want to make clear that we are acting against Islamists, not against a religion or another state,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.
“We have the Islamist scene in our sights,” she said.
“Especially now, when many Jews feel particularly threatened, we do not tolerate Islamist propaganda or anti-Semitic and anti-Israel hate speech,” she added.
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The raids were carried out as Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities around the world say they are experiencing an uptick in discrimination and intimidation as the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas intensifies.
Faeser said the IZH has long been monitored by the domestic intelligence agency. The ministry said the centre supported the “revolutionary concept” championed by Iran’s supreme leader, which may be a violation of Germany’s constitutional order.
Source: Aljazeera.com
