Nine German police officers are under suspicion of participating in right-wing extremist chat groups after early morning apartment raids were carried out on Tuesday in western Germany.

The searches were conducted simultaneously in the cities of Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Velbert at 6 a.m local time (5 a.m. GMT).

Read more: Opinion: Germany must take a firm stand against far-right extremists

Electronics seized

A total of 17 objects, including cell phones and other electronics, were seized. Images, videos and audios were among the files taken away for further analysis.

The Duisburg public prosecutor's office is investigating the officers over their online conduct.

Wider issue

The raids in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), are a part of an extremism scandal to hit the force in recent weeks.

Just over two months ago 29 officers in NRW were suspended on suspicion of exchanging far-right propaganda online.

jsi/rt (dpa, AFP)