German Police Raid Offices of Muslim Group

German police Tuesday raided more than 200 offices, warehouses, mosques and apartments of members and supporters of an Islamic group called "The True Religion," which is suspected of recruiting teenagers to radicalize to fight in Syria and Iraq.

At the same time, the German government announced it has banned the organization because it glorified terrorism and the fight against the German constitution in videos and meetings.

Police in 60 cities seized documents, hard drives, smartphones and weapons, according to German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere. No arrests were made.

The group, also known as "Read!," has been distributing German-language copies of the Koran across the country.

The interior minister said that more than 140 youths had traveled to Syria and Iraq to join fighters there after having participated in the group's campaigns in Germany.

"The translations of the Koran are being distributed along with messages of hatred and unconstitutional ideologies," de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin. "Teenagers are being radicalized with conspiracy theories."

Young men in long robes and bushy beards handing out German copies of the Koran has been a common sight in city streets and shopping areas across Germany for several years.

Security officials said that the group had about 500 members.

In a warehouse near the western city of Cologne, authorities seized about 21,000 German-language copies of the Koran.

The ban came a week after security authorities arrested five men who allegedly aided the Islamic State group in Germany by recruiting members and providing financial and logistical help.

"We don't want terrorism in Germany ... and we don't want to export terrorism," de Maiziere said, adding that the ban was also a measure to help protect peaceful Islam in the country.

Some 850 people are believed to have traveled from Germany to Syria and Iraq to join extremist groups like the Islamic State as fighters. All in all, security officials say that there are about 9,200 so-called Salafists in Germany who practice an ultra-conservative form of Islam that can also turn violent.

The German interior minister stressed that the ban does not restrict the freedom of religion in Germany or the peaceful practice of Islam in any way.

The head of "The true religion" group, 52-year-old Palestinian-born Ibrahim Abou-Nagie, is currently in Malaysia, according to the German news agency DPA.

He has repeatedly preached against "infidels" at mass events in Germany and on videos and social media.