Involved in attack plans?: Suspected Hamas members arrested in Berlin

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The Federal Public Prosecution Service has arrested a total of four suspected members of the Islamist Hamas in Berlin and Rotterdam on suspicion of membership of a foreign terrorist organization. As Germany’s highest prosecutorial authority announced on Thursday in Karlsruhe, the weapons involved were to be kept ready for possible attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. The arrests were made in collaboration with the Dutch investigative authorities.

According to a statement, three men were arrested in Berlin: an Egyptian national, a Dutch national and a Lebanese-born man. The eldest of the alleged conspirators, a man born in Lebanon in 1967, was temporarily arrested by police in Rotterdam. The suspects are accused of membership of a foreign terrorist organization. They are said to have had close ties to senior leaders of Hamas’s military wing. From the spring of 2023 at the latest, one of the Berlin-based suspects was involved on behalf of Hamas in locating an earthen depot with weapons in Europe, which the organization had set up there in the past. He received his instructions from Hamas leadership cadres in Lebanon.

The weapons must therefore be brought to Berlin and kept ready for possible attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. In October, the three men living in Berlin left Berlin several times in search of the weapons. They were supported by the man who has since been arrested in Rotterdam.

According to information from security circles, the men’s activities are not directly related to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. The first reference to the four men is said to have come from last summer.

If the suspicion is confirmed that the men, as members of Hamas, planned attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe, this would be a novelty. According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany has so far been a haven for Hamas members, where they have only tried to conduct propaganda and collect donations. To prevent this, two associations close to Hamas were banned in 2002 and 2005.

“My thanks go to all those involved who have contributed to this successful investigation to ensure that Jews in Europe can continue to live in safety and peace,” said Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP). “We must therefore do everything we can to ensure that Jews in our country do not have to fear for their safety again.”

Since the terrorist attack on October 7, fears have increased that attacks could also take place in Germany. It was only at the beginning of November that Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) issued a ban on Hamas’ activities. Faeser also banned the German branch of the Palestinian network Samidoun.

In Germany, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution estimates that Hamas has about 450 members. According to the findings, their activities to date include expressions of sympathy and propaganda activities, as well as collecting donations. Unlike Islamist terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda or Islamic State (IS), Hamas has not yet committed attacks in Western countries, but only in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

In Denmark, authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of three suspects on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack. According to Israel’s foreign intelligence service, they also have ties to Hamas. Danish authorities have not yet commented on the background or possible target of the planned attack. (SDA)

Source: Blick