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Unidentified individuals spray-painted pro-Israel messages on the exterior walls of two mosques in the German city of Hannover on Tuesday evening, according to local mosque officials and Turkish diplomatic sources.
The vandals targeted central mosques affiliated with the Islamic Community Milli Gorus (IGMG) and the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), writing "IDF" — referring to the Israeli military— and "Israel" on the buildings' facades.
Ibrahim Kidik, president of the IGMG Hagia Sophia Mosque Association, told Anadolu Agency that congregation members discovered the vandalism Wednesday morning and reacted with shock and distress. Police have launched an investigation into the incidents, though the perpetrators remain unidentified.
"Whether this was a provocation or carried out with another purpose will hopefully become clear over time," Kidik said, adding that he strongly condemned the attacks and called for the case to be resolved quickly.
Kidik emphasized that targeting houses of worship creates social unrest and threatens religious harmony in the community. The attacks come amid ongoing tensions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, though authorities have not yet established a clear motive.
The Turkish Consulate General in Hannover has contacted German authorities to request expedited completion of the investigation, identification of the perpetrators, and increased security measures for Turkish mosques, associations and institutions in the area.
The vandalism represents the latest in a series of anti-Islamic incidents across Germany. According to Federal Criminal Office data, authorities recorded 930 anti-Islamic crimes during the first nine months of this year, including 31 attacks specifically targeting mosques.
These offenses encompass assault, insult, incitement to hatred, property damage, and use of symbols from organizations deemed unconstitutional. The attacks resulted in minor injuries to 37 people and serious injury to one person during this period.
Germany is known as the country with the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe, after France. Approximately 5.5 million of the country's 85 million residents are Muslim, making the community a significant demographic presence that has increasingly faced security concerns at religious sites.
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