The attack in the southern city of Ulm on March 19 caused only material damage and the eight people inside the building at the time were unharmed, local police said in a joint statement with Stuttgart prosecutors.

The suspects, aged 18 to 27, were arrested on Wednesday. One of the men has already confessed to the crime, according to the statement.

The 3 am (0100 GMT) attack saw several Molotov cocktails lobbed at the building, one of which started a fire that was quickly put out by police.

Prosecutors said they suspect the attack "may have been politically motivated", but according to DPA news agency they declined to comment on reports that it was an act of retaliation over the Turkish offensive in the Syrian enclave of Afrin.

"The investigation, including into the motive of the Syrians... is ongoing," the statement read.

Several mosques, cultural centres and shops frequented by Germany's Turkish community have been targeted in a string of attacks in recent weeks amid tensions over Turkey's actions against Kurdish militia in Afrin.

The Kurdish Community in Germany group earlier this month sharply condemned the attacks as well as social media calls that were "urging Kurdish youths to employ violence against Turkish institutions".

Germany is home to three million ethnic Turks and hundreds of thousands of Kurds.</s>Four Syrian men have been detained in relation to an arson attack on a Turkish mosque in the southern German city of Ulm last week, authorities said Thursday.

The men, who were arrested Wednesday, are under investigation for attempted murder and attempted serious arson, Ulm police and the Stuttgart prosecutor's office said.

One of the accused has confessed to involvement in the crime, the authorities said, adding that the attack may have been politically motivated.

The investigators declined to comment as to whether the crime was committed as an act of protest against Turkey's Operation Olive Branch to clear PKK-linked People's Protection Unit (YPG) terrorists from northern Syrian region of Afrin.

Two of the detained suspects are 18 years old; the others are 24 and 27.

According to initial findings, a window on the ground floor of the building, which houses a Turkish mosque association, was hit by a petrol bomb in the early hours of March 19.

Several unused incendiary devices were found at the scene.

The PKK has been banned in Germany since 1993, but it remains active, with nearly 14,000 followers in the country.</s>CHENNAI: BJP National president Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Sankararaman murder case against Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswathi was politically motivated.

Speaking at a programme to mark the 80th birth day of the pontiff, Shah recalled that as home minister of Gujarat he had participated in a dharna to protest the action against Kanchi seer who was arrested following the September 2004 murder of Sankararaman, manager of the Varadaraja Perumal temple.

He lauded the services of Kanchi Mutt to the people and Sanatan Dharma and recalled how the seer had visited the nook and corner of Gujarat along with Narendra Modi, who was then the Chief Minister.

The BJP president also highlighted how the pontiff bridged the communal divide in Gujarat. After the communal riots, the acharya held talks with the warring parties to restore peace for which Modi had honoured him, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Jayendra Saraswathi recalled how Modi used to travel with him during his spiritual yatra in Gujarat. He also urged the people to follow the path of goodness and work towards the betterment of society.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who was present on the occasion, highlighted how India remained a Hindu state despite the invasion of Muslims and British. He stressed the need for unity among Hindus. He also paid tributes to B R Ambedkar, who due to his education, went on to draft the constitution of India.</s>Three trucks belonging to a private Turkish company were set ablaze in an arson attack in Germany that was suspected to have been carried out by the PKK terrorist organization's followers active in the country.

The incident took place in Berlin's Neukölln neighborhood Tuesday night. A driver noticed a burning truck belonging to the Turkish furniture chain İstikbal and alerted the police. Before long, the flames reportedly spread to two other trucks owned by the company. The incident was resolved by the firefighters without any injuries. However, two of the trucks were severely burned, resulting in high property damage. Berlin police launched an investigation into the incident searching for possible political motivations. The past several weeks have witnessed several attacks on Turkish institutions and mosques, many of which were found to have been conducted by the PKK's sympathizers in Germany and across other European cities.

Attacks on buildings affiliated with Turkey and Turkish organizations in Europe intensified after Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to remove Syrian affiliates of the PKK, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, from Afrin in northwestern Syria.

According to the Funke Media group's report released on March 20 based on information from Germany's Interior Ministry, 37 attacks targeted Turkish establishments in Germany in 2018, while last year the number of attacks was 13. An Interior Ministry spokesperson told the Funke Media group that these numbers might rise soon.

Germany has a 3 million-strong Turkish community, many of whom are second and third generation German-born citizens of Turkish descent whose grandparents moved to the country in the 1960s. In the face of growing threats directed at the Turkish community in Germany, Ankara has been calling on Germany to not tolerate the PKK, stressing that security officials need to bring the perpetrators to justice and take necessary measures to prevent new attacks. Turkey expects German authorities stamp out the PKK's campaigns in the country. The PKK has been banned in Germany since 1993 but remains active, with nearly 14,000 followers among the country's Kurdish immigrant population. Turkey has long criticized Germany for not taking serious measures against the PKK, which uses the country as a platform for their fundraising, recruitment and propaganda activities.
Police in Germany announce that earlier this week they detained four Syrian nationals on suspicion of arson and attempted murder over a Turkish Muslim mosque firebombing in Ulm. Police say the attack "may have been politically motivated".