Oct 7, 2009, 16:06 GMT
Berlin - Berlin police carried out raids on 26 apartments across the German capital Wednesday amid fears suspected Islamist terrorists were planning to launch attacks on Russia.
While there were no arrests, the 150 officers mounting the raids confiscated items such as computer data carriers, the police said. The searches started throughout the city at 6 am local time (0400 GMT).
The raids came against the backdrop of investigations into people who had attended training camps for Islamist terrorists.
'We do not know of any concrete plans for the group to carry out attacks,' a police spokesman said.
But the police declined to confirm a report by the online site of German daily Bild, which said a group of Chechen Islamists was being investigated.
The leader of the minimum 15-member group is thought to reside in Berlin.
The Berlin prosecutor's office is currently investigating three men aged 28, 30 and 36, suspected of planning terrorist attacks in Russia. However, the three men declined to make any statement to the police and have been released.
Security officials estimate that there are more than 400 members of violent Islamist groups living in Berlin.
Tough security measures were introduced during German reunification celebrations in Berlin and at the Munich Oktoberfest after several videos appeared on the internet threatening attacks if Germany did not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
However, officials said the raids were not connected to the recent video threats.
Your Talkback on this Story