German police launched simultaneous raids in ten states on Tuesday morning against suspected supporters of the Daesh extremist organization.
Hundreds of police were involved in the raids on more than 200 apartments and offices belonging to organizers and supporters of the Salafist group "Die wahre Religion" (The True Religion), security sources told dpa.
The raids, which occurred concurrently across Germany at 630am (0530 GMT), took place in western German states and Berlin.
The most raids were carried out in the state of Hesse, including 15 in the city of Frankfurt alone. In both North-Rhine Westphalia and Bavaria, 35 searches took place.
Raids were also conducted in the states of Lower Saxony, Berlin, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hamburg and Bremen. None were conducted in any eastern German states.
Salafists believe in a traditional interpretation of Islam, based on Sharia law. They have caused controversy in Germany with a project to hand out 25 million translations of the Koran free of charge.
Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the domestic intelligence agency, accuses "Die wahre Religion" group of glorifying jihad and various extremist attacks.
Security sources say that some 140 members of the group travelled to Syria and Iraq from Germany, to become members of Daesh.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere is expected to give a press conference on Tuesday morning giving details on the searches.
By Joerg Blank
