At least 16 people were detained and one more was arrested as a result of the multiple raids in Germany, Hessian Minister of the Interior and Sports Peter Beuth told reporters.

A Tunisian who took part in militant attacks in Tunisia was arrested by German police on suspicion of planning an attack in Germany.

The 36-year-old Tunisian was held in a major search operation involving 1,100 police officers. Police searched 54 homes, business premises and mosques in Frankfurt, and other towns in the western state of Hesse in the early hours of Wednesday, German authorities said.

In Germany, he is suspected of recruiting for the Islamic State militant group since August 2015 and building up a network of supporters with the aim of carrying out an attack in Germany.