The German government is condemning an incident in which around 50 copies of the Quran were damaged at a mosque.

Police say that one or more people ripped up copies of the Islamic holy book at a mosque in the northwestern city of Bremen on Saturday. They have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

According to a local mosque association, some pages were stuffed into a toilet.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Wednesday that "this is exactly the kind of aggression against the peaceful exercise of religion that we will not tolerate in this country."

Aiman Mazyek, a prominent German Muslim leader, said the act appeared aimed at fueling "the spiral of hatred and violence against Muslims and their mosques."