German police raid Islamic organizations over suspected Hamas support

German police on Wednesday raided offices belonging to Islamic organizations suspected of financing the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is on the European Union's terrorism blacklist, the interior ministry said.

The ministry said the main targets of the raids were WorldWide Resistance-Help and Ansaar International which are believed to have collected funds for Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, under the guise of humanitarian aid.

The organizations say on their websites that they collect donations for people in Gaza, Somalia, Syria and other countries.

Policemen outside the Duesseldorf offices of Ansaar International told reporters they were not allowed to comment and referred all questions to the German interior ministry in Berlin.

“Whoever supports Hamas under the guise of humanitarian aid disregards fundamental values of our constitution and discredits the commitment of many aid organizations,” Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said in a written statement.

The ministry said the two organizations also supported Hamas through propaganda campaigns. 

 

REUTERS