Thursday May 6, 2021
Police secures a building after Germany banned the Islamic organisation Ansaar International in Duesseldorf, Germany, May 5, 2021. REUTERS/Erol Dogrudogan
BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Wednesday banned a Muslim organization that it accused of supporting “terrorism globally with its donations.”
Police raided buildings associated with Ansaar International in 10 German states, the German Interior Ministry said in a statement. The ministry alleged the money the organization collected ostensibly went into welfare projects as a ruse to help finance groups such as the Syrian al-Qaida affiliate known as the Nusra Front, the Palestinian group Hamas and al-Shabab in Somalia.
More than 1,000 police officers raided buildings and office spaces across Germany and confiscated about 150,000 euros ($180,000).
“When wanting to fight terrorism, one needs to dry out its money sources,” German Interior Ministry Horst Seehofer said. He alleged that Ansaar International “spreads a Salafist view of the world and is financing terror around the globe under the disguise of humanitarian help.”
A man who answered a phone call to the organization’s headquarters in the western German city of Duesseldorf immediately hung up when The Associated Press called seeking comment.