A mosque run by a Turkish organization in Germany was vandalized on Wednesday by unknown suspects before they attempted to burn the place down. Vandals drew symbols, including a swastika and the Star of David, on the door of the mosque in the Dahlhausen district in Bochum.

The Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), which runs the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, condemned the attack.

Sultan Ahmet Mosque Association President Güngör Kadir Güven said the congregation that came to perform the morning prayer discovered the attack. Noting that the vandals first attempted to burn down the mosque, Güven said: "Then a swastika and Star of David symbols were drawn on the entrance door. Despite several attempts, fortunately, the shutters did not catch fire. If they had, it would have been a disaster."

"We demand that the perpetrator or perpetrators be caught and brought to justice as soon as possible," he added. Police have launched an investigation into the incident, he noted.

Germany has been facing a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment and violence in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right political parties and movements. In the first half of 2023, police recorded 258 Islamophobic crimes, including attacks on mosques, cases of bodily harm and threatening letters. A country of more than 84 million, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. According to official figures, it is home to more than 5 million Muslims.