German Police Raids Centers Linked to Hamas and Another Palestinian Group in Four States

On Thursday, December 2, the German Ministry of the Interior announced that police officers raided centers in four states suspected of collaborating with Hamas and a Palestinian network called 'Samdoun.' The operation involved over 300 police officers in Berlin, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein. Germany, along with other EU members, the United States, the United Kingdom, and several other countries, has designated the militant group Hamas as a terrorist organization. This group is supported by the Islamic Republic. Nancy Faeser, the German Minister of the Interior, stated, 'We will continue our ongoing actions against extremist Islamists.' She added that by banning the activities of Hamas and Samdoun in Germany, they sent a clear signal that they will not tolerate any praise or support for Hamas's brutal terrorism against Israel. Earlier this November, Germany had prohibited activities related to Hamas and Samdoun. On November 15, police officers had entered the 'Islamic Center of Hamburg' and dozens of affiliated offices to search for evidence justifying a potential ban on this center's activities. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Germany indicated that there is evidence suggesting this Islamic center is 'an important propaganda center for Iran in Europe' and 'the arm of the Islamic Republic.' Omid Nouripour, an Iranian-born member of the German Parliament and leader of the Greens, referred to this Islamic center as 'the most important espionage center of the Iranian regime in Germany' and held it responsible for spying on opponents of the Islamic Republic in Germany. Following Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, the German Parliament unanimously urged the government to 'make efforts to close the Islamic Center of Hamburg.' The Islamic Center of Hamburg has consistently denied the claims made by politicians and officials, describing them as 'unjust.' Voice of America previously reported that according to a ruling by the Hamburg Administrative Court, this Islamic center, also known as the 'Blue Mosque,' has been classified among 'extremist Islamist organizations.'