Hamburg mosque closed down

Berlin:  A Hamburg mosque once frequented by some of the September 11 attackers was shut down yesterday because German authorities believed the prayer house was again being used as a meeting point for radicals.

The Taiba mosque was closed and the cultural association that runs it was banned, Hamburg officials said in a statement.

"We have closed the mosque because it was a recruiting and meeting point for radicals who wanted to participate in so-called jihad or holy war," said Frank Reschreiter, a spokesman for Hamburg's state interior ministry.

He said that 20 police officers were searching the building and had confiscated material, including several computers. He was not aware of any arrests.

However, the homes of leading members of the cultural association were searched and the group's assets were confiscated, the Hamburg state government said in a statement.

Authorities have said the prayer house, until two years ago known as the Al Quds mosque, was a meeting and recruiting point years ago for some of the September 11 attackers before they moved to the United States.

Ringleader Mohammad Atta as well as Marwan Al Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah had studied in Hamburg and frequented Al Quds mosque.

First time

Reschreiter said yesterday marked the first time the mosque had been closed, and that it had been under observation by local intelligence officers for "quite a long time". A 2009 report by the Hamburg branch of Germany's domestic intelligence agency also said the mosque had again become the "centre of attraction" in the northern port city.

"Latest developments have shown that the training courses, sermons and seminars by the association as well as texts published on the group's home page not only violate the constitution but also radicalise listeners and readers," the statement said yesterday.

By yesterday morning, the group's home page on the web had been taken down and it was not possible to reach any members directly.