Police carried out anti-terrorism raids on 190 homes, mosques and offices in 10 German states | Alexander Koerner/Getty Images Germany bans Salafist group for promoting jihad Salafist group True Religion is accused of making propaganda videos for ISIL and sending jihadists to Syria.

Police carried out anti-terrorism raids on 190 homes, mosques and offices in 10 German states early Tuesday in an operation against a suspected ISIL recruitment outfit which Germany has now banned, the interior ministry said.

The operation targeted "True Religion," a Salafist group accused of recruiting fighters for ISIL. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière announced a ban on the organization, on the grounds that it incited hatred and operated as a mobilizing network for ISIL, according to a spokeswoman for the ministry. The ban also makes similar activities by other groups punishable by law.

Members of "True Religion" have handed out free copies of the Koran in pedestrian zones of German cities, with the slogan "Read!" Senior members of the group, led by the preacher Abou Nagie, are accused of disseminating more than 2,000 propaganda videos, promoting jihad and arranging for 140 converts to travel to Syria, according to the ministry, which estimates it has more than 500 members divided into 60 regional groups.

"There could be international connections. The questions could be asked, where did these hundreds of thousands of Korans come from, and how were they paid for? Those questions are ones we want to look into," de Maizière said in a news conference.

Asked whether migrants are at greater risk of radicalization and whether this informed the ban on "True Religion," de Maizière replied: "We want to make sure there is no fertile ground for [radicalization] to take place."