By Anadolu staff
BERLIN (AA) - German authorities seized phones and storage devices from eight police officers in the state of Lower Saxony on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a chat group where racist, Nazi-sympathizing and discriminatory content was shared.
The early morning operation targeted officers who reportedly participated in an online chat group dating back to 2019. Officials said the group consisted of 13 male members who knew each other from their time studying at the Oldenburg Police Academy.
The authorities emphasized that if the allegations are confirmed, the officers could be dismissed from service under German civil service law.
Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Daniela Behrens condemned the officers' behavior in strong terms.
"Anyone who does not respect human dignity has no place in the Lower Saxony police force," Behrens said in an official statement. "We take consistent action against racism and discrimination. We maintain an open, diverse and tolerant state police force."
The investigation spanned multiple police departments across the state, including the Central Police Directorate in Hanover and the Osnabruck, Luneburg, and Braunschweig directorates.
"The vast majority of the more than 24,000 employees of the police force stand firmly on the foundation of our liberal democratic order, the Basic Law and the Lower Saxony Constitution," Behrens said. "These women and men stand up for these values every day in carrying out their challenging work and ensure all our safety."