Cologne's Central Mosque run by German-Turkish organization Ditib | Maja Hitij/AFP via Getty Images Germany investigates imams over alleged spying for Turkey: report Members of Islamic association Ditib have sent intelligence to Turkey’s state institution for religious affairs, according to German media.

Authorities have searched the homes of members of the Turkish Islamic association Ditib in connection with an investigation into imams who are accused of spying on suspected Fethullah Gülen supporters in Germany.

According to a Spiegel Online report published Wednesday, members of Cologne-based Ditib spied on religious community members and German teachers on behalf of Diyanet, Turkey's directorate for religious affairs.

More than 900 mosques fall under the auspices of the Islamic association, which is controlled by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

German authorities launched an investigation into the spying allegations last month, according to Spiegel. An intelligence report claimed the Ditib members should be treated as spies even though they collected information for a foreign state institution, not a foreign intelligence agency.

According to Nordrhein-Westphalia's intelligence chief, at least 13 imams affiliated with Ditib spied on 33 people and 11 educational institutions in the region and fed information to Diyanet.

According to a December report by Turkish state media, Diyanet has used imams in 38 countries to gather intelligence on suspected followers of Gülen, the U.S.-based preacher the government accuses of masterminding the failed July coup. Gülen has repeatedly denied the claims.

Erdoğan has removed more than 490 staffers from Diyanet since July as part of a widespread crackdown on alleged religious and political opposition.