Mosque in Germany gets letter with neo-Nazi threats

BERLIN

A mosque in the central German city of Duisburg got a threatening racist letter, according to a religious official.

The Duisburg Central Mosque, which is affiliated with Turkish-Muslim umbrella group DITIB, got the threatening letter, which included both a swastika and the word “NSU 2.0,” referring to a neo-Nazi group responsible for a string of murders.

Yusuf Aydin, head of the DITIB Central Mosque Association, said on Saturday they shared the racist letter with the police and filed a criminal complaint.

"We are deeply saddened. We demand that the perpetrator or perpetrators be apprehended and brought to justice as soon as possible," Aydin said.

The mosque has already received over a dozen threatening and insulting letters, he added.

Turkish flag damaged at mosque in Bremen

Separately, the DITIB Press Office said a supporter of the terrorist organization PKK had damaged a Turkish flag hanging on the wall of the Selimiye Mosque in Bremen before fleeing the scene.

Hidayet Tekin, head of the Bremen Selimiye Mosque Association, said they hung Turkish, German, and DITIB flags on the wall of the mosque for a weekend bazaar.

"We saw from the camera that the attacker, who was a supporter of the terrorist organization, targeted only the Turkish flag,” said Tekin.

"The attacker, who covered his face with a cloth representing the terrorist organization, tore down our Turkish flag and fled. We immediately informed the police and shared the camera footage. The police have initiated an investigation," he explained.

Tekin added that they later discovered that footage of the attack was shared by the suspect on social media, including the person burning and trampling on the Turkish flag in a parking area.

Tekin stated that the police are actively investigating the incident and working to ensure the mosque’s security.

He also said he had the video removed from social media.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.