The Federal Minister of the Interior, Building and Community today banned the association Ansaar International e.V. including its sub-organisations WWR-Help. WorldWide Resistance-Help e.V., Aktion Ansar Deutschland e.V., Somalisches Komitee Information und Beratung in Darmstadt und Umgebung e.V. (SKIB), Frauenrechte ANS.Justice e.V., Änis Ben-Hatira Help e.V./Änis Ben-Hatira Foundation, Umma Shop, Helpstore Secondhand UG and Better World Appeal e.V..

Actions to enforce the ban have been under way in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Schleswig-Holstein since the early hours of the morning. Search warrants have been used and property has been seized. More than 1000 police officers are currently being deployed in 10 federal states throughout Germany to carry out the measures. Some 150,000 euro in cash has been seized so far.

Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said: "If you want to fight terror you have to dry up its sources of funding. Ansaar International e.V. and its sub-organisations in Germany are banned as of today and will be dissolved with immediate effect. They spread a Salafist world view and finance terror worldwide under the guise of humanitarian aid. Organisations which supposedly collect donations for a good cause but then funnel them into terrorism cannot hide behind our associations law. Our security authorities are extremely vigilant and will leave no stone unturned in the fight against terrorism."

The association Ansaar International e.V. is directed against the concept of international understanding and the constitutional order, and pursues aims and activities contravening criminal laws. Ansaar and its sub-organisations use a network of associations and individuals to generate donations. Contrary to its own claims, Ansaar does not use these donations solely for humanitarian purposes, but rather in particular to support terrorist organisations such as Jabhat al-Nusra, Hamas and Al-Shabaab. Moreover, Ansaar actively promotes Salafist ideology and spreads Islamist extremist views.

Alongside criminal investigations and threat prevention by the security authorities, bans on organisations under the law on associations are a key instrument for the Federation and the federal states to take decisive action against the threat of terrorism.