The suspects are accused of owning and distributing illegal content, prosecutors said. The proceedings against them arose out of an investigation into a child pornography ring in the western city of Bergisch Gladbach.

Most of the individuals targeted by police were in the states of North Rhine Westphalia – where 19 of the suspects were based – as well as Bavaria and Lower Saxony. The raids took place in 10 states in total, and some were ongoing.

No arrest warrants were issued on Tuesday, police said. Two women were among the suspects.

Investigators said they had already started examining the materials seized during the operation.

It was the second set of large-scale raids connected to the Bergisch Gladbach case.

In September last year, about 1,000 police and officials took part in raids against 50 people across 12 states.