Hamburg's Blue Mosque Raided Over Alleged Ties to Iranian Regime

The German government has banned the Islamic Centre Hamburg (IZH), a Shia Muslim organization accused of promoting an Islamist extremist ideology and being an "outpost" of Iran's theocracy. The group, which has subgroups in Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin, was raided by police equipped with chainsaws and battering rams at 53 premises across the country, including the prominent Imam Ali mosque in Hamburg. According to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, evidence gathered during the investigation confirmed "serious suspicions" about the group's activities. The IZH has been under investigation for years, and authorities have accused it of promoting an ideology that is incompatible with German values.