In an announcement Thursday, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said a group considered to be militant jihadis had been banned in Germany.

The announcement came as police in four German states - Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein - conducted searches and raids to enforce the measure.

The ministry said the group used the Internet and information stands to call Muslims "to fight against the constitutional order" and that it glorified the violence perpetuated by groups such as the self-styled "Islamic State" (IS) in Iraq and Syria.

"Today's ban is a clear signal to the militant-jihadi scene," de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin. "Groups like 'Tauhid Germany' threaten our social cohesion. They target youths and support their radicalization up to the point of recruitment to fight in Syria or Iraq."

The interior minister added that Tauhid Germany had replaced another group, Millatu Ibrahim, which had previously been banned in 2012.

mz/ (AFP, dpa)