German authorities have launched simultaneous raids on mosques, apartments, and offices in 10 states against suspected supporters of the Islamic State (IS) group.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on November 15 that police raided about 190 places in western Germany and also in Berlin, seizing documents and files belonging to members and supporters of the group Die wahre Religion (DWR, The True Religion).
Nobody was detained.
De Maiziere said DWR had now been banned, and that it used the promotion of Islam as a pretext to spread "messages of hate and conspiracy theories" with the aim of recruiting militants.
The minister noted that after participating in a Koran distribution campaign organized by the group, "140 young people travelled to Syria and Iraq where they joined the fight with terrorist groups."
However, there was no indication it was planning attacks itself.
There was no immediate statement from DWR.
