Hundreds of German police carried out raids in 26 locations across Berlin and neighbouring Brandenburg state on Thursday following the banning and dissolution of a radical Islamist group in the capital, authorities said.

Berlin's Senate interior department said it had outlawed Jama'atu Berlin, "a young and very radical jihad Salafist" association, also known as Tauhid Berlin, saying the group was advocating terrorist attacks.

Nineteen members of the association were the focus of Thursday's raids and the group had been under surveillance for two years, Berlin Interior Senator Andreas Geisel told a news conference.

A Senate statement said the group had propagated "a martyr cult", supported Islamic State ideology, rejected the German constitution and called for sharia as the sole legitimate law.

"(In the group), there are severe anti-Semites who are calling for the death of Jews," Berlin Interior Secretary Torsten Akmann said in a statement.

Akmann told the news conference he did not know if any arrests were made on Thursday or whether the group had concrete attack plans, but that the investigation was still ongoing.

Male and female members of the unregistered association met regularly in parks and private homes to teach and pray and spread the group's ideology over the internet and by distributing flyers in public spaces, the Senate statement said.

Several members also belonged to another Islamist group banned in 2017 which had contact with Anis Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist links who hijacked a truck and drove it into a Christmas market in Berlin in 2016, killing 12 people.

The number of Salafists in Germany rose to a record high of 12,150 in 2019, the domestic intelligence agency said in its annual report last year, more than tripling since 2011.

Hundreds of German police carried out raids in 26 locations across Berlin and neighbouring Brandenburg state on Thursday following the banning and dissolution of a radical Islamist group in the capital, authorities said.

Hundreds of German police carried out raids in 26 locations across Berlin and neighbouring Brandenburg state on Thursday following the banning and dissolution of a radical Islamist group in the capital, authorities said. Berlin's Senate interior department said it had outlawed Jama'atu Berlin, "a young and very radical jihad Salafist" association, also known as Tauhid Berlin, saying the group was advocating terrorist attacks. Nineteen members of the association were the focus of Thursday's raids and the group had been under surveillance for two years, Berlin Interior Senator Andreas Geisel told a news conference. A Senate statement said the group had propagated "a martyr cult", supported Islamic State ideology, rejected the German constitution and called for sharia as the sole legitimate law. "(In the group), there are severe anti-Semites who are calling for the death of Jews," Berlin Interior Secretary Torsten Akmann said in a statement. Akmann told the news conference he did not know if any arrests were made on Thursday or whether the group had concrete attack plans, but that the investigation was still ongoing. Male and female members of the unregistered association met regularly in parks and private homes to teach and pray and spread the group's ideology over the internet and by distributing flyers in public spaces, the Senate statement said. Several members also belonged to another Islamist group banned in 2017 which had contact with Anis Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist links who hijacked a truck and drove it into a Christmas market in Berlin in 2016, killing 12 people. The number of Salafists in Germany rose to a record high of 12,150 in 2019, the domestic intelligence agency said in its annual report last year, more than tripling since 2011.

German police raid locations in Berlin after banning radical Islamist group

German authorities carried out raids at several locations in Berlin and Brandenburg on Thursday after banning a Berlin Salafist Muslim group, police said.&nbsp;

Berlin's senate department for interior affairs on Thursday said it banned a 'jihad-salafist' association Jama'atu Berlin, also known as Tauhid Berlin, and that police had undertaken the raids, without giving further details.&nbsp;

German newspaper Tagesspiegel said the group glorified 'Islamic State' fighting on the internet and called for the killing of Jews, adding that criminal proceedings were pending against some of its members.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/german-court-sentences-is-recruiter-to-10-year-jail-for-planning-attack-366008">German court sentences IS recruiter to 10-year jail for planning attack</a>

The newspaper added that the group had contact with Anis Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist links, who hijacked a truck and drove it into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people in 2016.&nbsp;

Salafists - strict Sunni Muslims - include peaceful private people, activists seeking the implementation of Sharia law and militants advocating violence to establish states they might regard as representing true Islam.&nbsp;

The number of Salafists had risen in Germany to an all-time high of 12,150 in 2019, Germany's domestic intelligence said in its annual report last year, listing them among 'Islamist extremists'.&nbsp;

It said the number of Salafists had more than tripled since 2011 and that the Salafist scene in Germany was going through a consolidation stage, adding that followers were keeping a low profile in public.&nbsp;

German authorities carried out raids at several locations in Berlin and Brandenburg on Thursday after banning a Berlin Salafist Muslim group, police said. Berlin's senate department for interior affairs on Thursday said it banned a 'jihad-salafist' association Jama'atu Berlin, also known as Tauhid Berlin, and that police had undertaken the raids, without giving further details.

German authorities carried out raids at several locations in Berlin and Brandenburg on Thursday after banning a Berlin Salafist Muslim group, police said. Berlin's senate department for interior affairs on Thursday said it banned a 'jihad-salafist' association Jama'atu Berlin, also known as Tauhid Berlin, and that police had undertaken the raids, without giving further details. German newspaper Tagesspiegel said the group glorified 'Islamic State' fighting on the internet and called for the killing of Jews, adding that criminal proceedings were pending against some of its members. Also Read: German court sentences IS recruiter to 10-year jail for planning attack The newspaper added that the group had contact with Anis Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist links, who hijacked a truck and drove it into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people in 2016. Salafists - strict Sunni Muslims - include peaceful private people, activists seeking the implementation of Sharia law and militants advocating violence to establish states they might regard as representing true Islam. The number of Salafists had risen in Germany to an all-time high of 12,150 in 2019, Germany's domestic intelligence said in its annual report last year, listing them among 'Islamist extremists'. It said the number of Salafists had more than tripled since 2011 and that the Salafist scene in Germany was going through a consolidation stage, adding that followers were keeping a low profile in public.

Germany bans Salafist Muslim group, raids several locations

German police have searched a mosque and eight apartments in Hildesheim that are believed to be a hotbed of a radical Salafist community, the interior minister of the northern state of Lower Saxony said today. 
 
Germany is on high alert after a spate of attacks since July 18 left 15 people dead - including four attackers - and dozens injured. Two assailants, a Syrian asylum seeker and a refugee from either Pakistan or Afghanistan, had links to Islamist militancy, officials say. 
 
&#39;Search was important step in banning the organisation&#39; 
 
Interior Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement that up to 400 police - including mobile squads and a special forces police commando - were involved in the raids on Wednesday in the Hildesheim area, which is a short drive south of Hanover. 
 
&quot;The German-speaking Islamic circle (DIK) in Hildesheim is a nationwide hotspot of the radical Salafist scene that Lower Saxony security authorities have been monitoring for a long time,&quot; the state official said. 
 
Pistorius said the search followed months of planning and was an important step towards banning the association, which security authorities say has radicalised Muslims and encouraged them to take part in jihad in combat zones. 
 
Hotbed of Salafists&nbsp; 
 
Numerous members of the mosque have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join Islamic State, while sermons, seminars and speeches call for &quot;hate against non-believers,&quot; the ministry said. 
 
Germany has seen sharp increases in the number of ultra-conservative Islamists known as Salafists in recent years, with the total number of sympathisers now seen at 8,900, up from 7,000 at the end of 2014, German officials have said. 
 
Security authorities say the DIK in Hildesheim is believed to have become the focal point of Salafist activities in Lower Saxony, the second-largest of Germany&#39;s 16 states after Bavaria. 
 
&quot;We will not put up with Salafist associations and their backers flouting our rules and bringing our rule of law into question and convincing young people that they want to join the so-called IS,&quot; Pistorius said. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m convinced that our freedom is stronger than the inhuman ideology of the extremists,&quot; he added. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Germany is on high alert after a spate of attacks since July 18 left 15 people dead - including four attackers - and dozens injured

German police have searched a mosque and eight apartments in Hildesheim that are believed to be a hotbed of a radical Salafist community, the interior minister of the northern state of Lower Saxony said today. Germany is on high alert after a spate of attacks since July 18 left 15 people dead - including four attackers - and dozens injured. Two assailants, a Syrian asylum seeker and a refugee from either Pakistan or Afghanistan, had links to Islamist militancy, officials say. 'Search was important step in banning the organisation' Interior Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement that up to 400 police - including mobile squads and a special forces police commando - were involved in the raids on Wednesday in the Hildesheim area, which is a short drive south of Hanover. "The German-speaking Islamic circle (DIK) in Hildesheim is a nationwide hotspot of the radical Salafist scene that Lower Saxony security authorities have been monitoring for a long time," the state official said. Pistorius said the search followed months of planning and was an important step towards banning the association, which security authorities say has radicalised Muslims and encouraged them to take part in jihad in combat zones. Hotbed of Salafists Numerous members of the mosque have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join Islamic State, while sermons, seminars and speeches call for "hate against non-believers," the ministry said. Germany has seen sharp increases in the number of ultra-conservative Islamists known as Salafists in recent years, with the total number of sympathisers now seen at 8,900, up from 7,000 at the end of 2014, German officials have said. Security authorities say the DIK in Hildesheim is believed to have become the focal point of Salafist activities in Lower Saxony, the second-largest of Germany's 16 states after Bavaria. "We will not put up with Salafist associations and their backers flouting our rules and bringing our rule of law into question and convincing young people that they want to join the so-called IS," Pistorius said. "I'm convinced that our freedom is stronger than the inhuman ideology of the extremists," he added. (Reuters)

German police clamps down on Salafists, raids mosque and apartments

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