Patrol car (icon image)
Photo: Carsten Rehder/ picture alliance/dpa
A Berlin local group of the Hells Angels rocker gang has been banned because of criminal activities by Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD).
The police carried out a major raid on the rocker group Hells Angels MC Berlin Central on Thursday morning.
This was announced by the Senate administration and the police.
Around 1,300 police officers were deployed in four federal states, including several special task forces (SEK) from the federal states and the GSG9 of the federal police.
The "BZ" reported first.
According to the newspaper, the raid began at six o'clock, and according to the Senate administration it is continuing.
45 apartments and other rooms such as a clubhouse and prison cells were searched in Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, 42 people were affected, a police spokeswoman said.
"It is now forbidden to distribute or publicly use the symbols of the association and its support group," said the senator.
The club's assets were confiscated.
The club is a replacement organization for a previously banned club, it said.
The Hells Angels, officially operating as a motorcycle and rocker group, are repeatedly in the spotlight because of organized crime - often it's about murder, drug and human trafficking and illegal possession of weapons.
has/dpa