In the nationwide raid due to the spread of Islamist propaganda on the Internet, the police also took action against suspects in Berlin and Brandenburg. In Berlin, 16 apartments were searched early this morning, the police said. There were three searches in Brandenburg. Cell phones, laptops, notebooks, cameras and memory cards were confiscated.
The accusation is about the distribution of so-called Nashids, which are songs and chants that many young people know from the Internet, the Berlin police said about the action as part of a so-called “Nashid Action Day”. Islamist propaganda is also distributed through the music.
“Quiet music, nice vibes”
“Many clips appear harmless – calm music, nice vibes, short messages. Some versions are misused online to spread hidden criminal or extremist messages or criminally relevant propaganda,” said the police. “A song then seems like a normal trend – but in reality it has a completely different meaning.”
The suspects in Berlin included many people who had already committed similar acts, said a police spokesman. The addresses of three women and 13 men between the ages of 16 and 49 from many different parts of Berlin, of German and foreign origin, were searched. 220 police officers were on duty.
The searches in Brandenburg in the Spree-Neiße and Ostprignitz-Ruppin districts focused on three men aged 18, 23 and 27. There were no arrests.
The raid was coordinated by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). More than 50 search warrants were implemented in twelve federal states and numerous suspects were questioned. There were also corresponding measures in Austria and Switzerland.
According to the BKA, the accused are primarily young people and adolescents up to the age of 21 who are “relevant recipients and disseminators of Islamist propaganda on the Internet”. (dpa)
