SWISS police raided a mosque yesterday, detaining eight people including an Ethiopian imam who allegedly called for the killing of apostates.

Police searched the An Nur mosque in Winterthur and the flats of three people as part of the morning operation, according to a statement from the regional prosecutor’s office in nearby Zurich.

In a public sermon on October 21, the Ethiopian imam allegedly called for the killing and denunciation of Muslims who refuse to participate in common prayers at the mosque, the statement said.

Prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation centred on the imam and three others.

In a separate statement, Zurich police said another four men from countries including Algeria and Tunisia had also been detained.

They were inside the mosque at the time of the raid and were believed to be in Switzerland illegally, spokeswoman Corinne Bouvard said.

But she added that prosecutors had so far discovered “no connection” to international extremist groups.