The German police and public prosecutor officers on Wednesday searched the properties of members of the climate action group Last Generation in seven states across the country.

A total of 15 properties were searched in the morning from around 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT), according to the Munich General Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office.

The raid was related to numerous criminal charges filed against members of the group since the middle of last year, with seven suspects between 22 and 38 years old.

They were accused of forming or supporting a criminal organisation and organising fundraising to finance the group’s alleged crimes.

The police said they had collected at least €1.4 million ($1.5 million) so far.

Properties in Hesse, Hamburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Bavaria, Berlin and Schleswig-Holstein were raided.

In addition, the group’s homepage was shut down on the instructions of the public prosecutor’s office, according to a police spokesman.

According to the police, about 170 officers were deployed nationwide for the raid.

Last Generation in Germany has repeatedly blocked traffic in Berlin and other centres in its campaign to press for stronger action to counter global warming.

The group is also demanding the German government to devise a plan to achieve the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

(dpa/NAN)