German police raids target banned Islamist group 'Caliphate State'

German police officers conducted coordinated raids across six states on Tuesday as part of an investigation into the banned Islamist association "Caliphate State," reported dpa.

Three arrest warrants and 47 search warrants have been executed since the operation began at dawn under the leadership of law enforcement in the south-western state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The State Criminal Police Office in Mainz said 41 people were suspected of violating the ban on the association, either by being members or by disseminating propaganda material as non-members.

The "Caliphate State" is led by Metin Kaplan, an extremist who lives in Istanbul.

According to investigators, its group's goal is to establish an Islamic state that rejects democratic principles and impose sharia, a strict interpretation of Islamic law.