Germany raids Iran-linked organization over alleged Hezbollah support

German authorities raided dozens of locations connected to the Islamic Center Hamburg, or IZH, on Thursday morning over suspicion that the organization supports the terrorist group Hezbollah. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser confirmed that hundreds of officers raided 54 properties across seven German states and confiscated cellphones, computers, and documents. The IZH last month said it “condemns every form of violence and extremism.”

Can German authorities just raid properties? Germany constitutionally banned all Hezbollah-linked activities in 2020. Faeser said the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution had monitored the IZH for a long time with serious suspicion that the organization broke the law by supporting Hezbollah. Faeser emphasized the importance of investigating all anti-Semitic sentiments since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. Faeser said German authorities are “acting against Islamists, not against a religion or another state.”

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Mindy Belz’s report on the effects of Hezbollah on Lebanon.