According to information from the German Press Agency, three properties in Munich were searched on Thursday in connection with investigations against the “Islamic Center Hamburg” (IZH). Accordingly, the focus of the campaign in the Free State is on the Islamic Association of Bavaria (IVB), which is said to maintain connections to the IZH. According to the information, around 50 emergency services were deployed.
According to the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the IZH is said to have repeatedly sent imams to the IVB in Munich in recent years. In addition, the Munich association’s statutes stipulate that the assets should go to the IZH in the event of a dissolution. The Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution attributes the IVB to Shiite Islamism.
During the major raid on Thursday, police officers searched 54 properties nationwide in seven federal states, as the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced on Thursday morning. The ministry is therefore conducting an investigation against the IZH, which could result in a ban on the association. The IZH is seen as an extension of the Iranian regime, which congratulated the Islamist Hamas on its attack on Israel and described it as a “turning point in the continuation of armed resistance.” According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the security authorities are also investigating the suspicion that the IZH supports activities of the pro-Iranian Lebanese Hezbollah, which is banned from operating in Germany.