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Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Police raided two dozen sites in Germany linked to a mosque frequently by the militant who attacked a Berlin market in December with a truck. About 450 officers conducted raids Tuesday morning at 24 locations in Berlin. They searched the mosque, 15 apartments, two company offices and six prison cells. No one was arrested.
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The properties targeted were used by a group who ran the mosque, known as Fussilet 33, police said.
"With this strike against Islamist terrorism, Berlin is sending a clear signal that people who act against our free democratic basic order, people who are committing violent acts or preaching violence don't have a place in this city," Berlin State Interior Minister Andreas Geisel said at a news conference.
Authorities say Anis Amri frequently visited the mosque, including on the day of the attack on Dec. 19. Amri, a Tunisian asylum seeker, drove a stolen truck through a Berlin outdoor Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring 56 others. Amri, 24, was shot to death several days later by police in Milan.
Earlier this month, police closed the mosque run by Fussilet 33 and banned the group from renting at other mosques.
Police suspect the mosque was used for radicalizing Muslim recruits for the Islamic State in Syria.
Last week, authorities in Berlin arrested three men suspected of links to the Islamic State who visited the mosque operated by Fussilet 33.
Since 2015, the mosque was under surveillance for its suspected links to the Islamic State.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said more than 500 individuals have been classified as a potential threat in Germany, half of whom are non-German nationals.
