Police Raid Banned Turkish Militant Group

German police on Friday carried out a series of raids targeting the so-called Caliphate State, an organization that calls for the overthrow of Turkey's secular government . Police in the southern city of Augsburg said 31 properties across the country were searched, but gave no details. Interior Minister Otto Schily banned the organization in December 2001 and would like to deport the group's leader, Metin Kaplan, to his native Turkey, where he faces treason charges. His extradition was long held up by concerns that he could face political persecution. In May, a court in the city of Münster rejected those concerns and said Kaplan could be extradited, but gave him a chance to appeal.