German Police Conduct Massive Operation Against Iran-Linked Islamic Center

German authorities say they have conducted nationwide searches of 54 locations across seven federal states connected to the Islamic Center of Hamburg (IZH), which is considered an extension of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Germany.

In a statement on November 16, the Federal Interior Ministry said the IZH was suspected of "acting against constitutional order" and of "supporting [Lebanon’s] terror organization Hezbollah."

No arrests were made during the raids, which were carried out to secure evidence on the suspicion that the center and affiliated groups back the activities of Tehran-backed Hezbollah.

Following the early morning raids, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) said the IZH had long been under surveillance by German intelligence services and has been categorized as "Islamist."

"We have the Islamist scene in our sights," Faeser said. “Especially now, at a time when many Jews feel particularly threatened, it's important to state: We do not tolerate Islamist propaganda or anti-Semitic and anti-Israel agitation.”

SPD politician Andy Grote, the interior senator for the city-state of Hamburg, expressed confidence that “the IZH will soon be closed."

"The sooner the IZH disappears from Hamburg entirely, the better," he said.

The Islamic Center in Hamburg was founded by Iranian immigrants in 1953 and has since become one of the most prominent and active Islamic centers in Europe. 

Its founders and members played significant roles in the establishment of the Islamic Republic prior to the 1979 revolution.

Germany's domestic intelligence services believe that the IZH has a large influence over certain mosques and associations, or even controls them.

The Hamburg Administrative Court has classified the center’s activities as "extremist."