German police raided the homes of five men suspected of “pro-Palestinian-motivated crimes,” in the latest of a series of crackdowns in the country on anti-Israel agitators. 

Berlin police say that a total of 125 police officers were involved in searching the apartments of the five men, ages 18 to 40, early on Monday morning, across several districts of Berlin. Authorities said they confiscated cell phones, computers, and data storage, which are now being evaluated by police. Two of the five men are accused of disturbing the peace, two of public incitement, and another suspect is believed to have used symbols of illegal organizations in the country. 

One of the suspects allegedly was behind an attempted attack in mid-September on Berlin’s culture minister, Joe Chialo, according to a German-state owned broadcaster, Deutsche Welle. The suspect, who is 18 years old, allegedly threw a microphone stand at the politician but missed and hit a woman instead. Mr. Chialo has called for funds to be pulled from anti-Israel groups, the outlet notes.

Germany is a key ally of Israel, in a unique relationship between the countries that is deeply influenced by the murder of 6 million Jewish people during the Holocaust and its aftermath. Though Germany’s government has been a staunch supporter of Israel since the October 7 massacre, Jewish people there have faced numerous antisemitic incidents, including harassment, intimidation, and attacks.

Berlin, which is home to the largest Palestinian diaspora community in Europe, earlier this year banned an inverted red triangle symbol that is used by Hamas and anti-Israel agitators, as the Sun reported. The symbol, which Berlin found to be threatening to Jews, has historically been associated with Nazi Germany. 

Germany has tightened its citizenship requirements in an effort to combat antisemitism, with applicants now required to affirm Israel’s right to exist and stating that anyone who expresses antisemitism “cannot become a German citizen.” Since the new, stricter, requirements went into effect, posting chants on social media such as “From the River to the Sea,” could be taken under consideration in citizenship applications, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing a German news outlet. 

“If you don’t share our values, you can’t get a German passport. We have drawn a crystal clear red line here,” Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, said, the outlet notes.