Hamas attacks on Jewish institutions – so far there have been no such acts in Western countries. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office suspects that there are plans for this.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has had a total of four suspected members of the Islamist Hamas arrested in Berlin and Rotterdam, Netherlands, on suspicion of membership in a foreign terrorist organization.
As the highest German prosecution authority in Karlsruhe announced, this is about weapons that should be kept ready for possible attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. The arrests were made in cooperation with Dutch investigative authorities.
According to a statement, three men were arrested in Berlin: an Egyptian national, a Dutchman and a man born in Lebanon. The oldest of the alleged conspirators, a man born in Lebanon in 1967, was provisionally arrested by police in Rotterdam.
Earth depot with weapons in Europe
The defendants are accused of membership in a foreign terrorist organization. They are said to have had “close ties to senior managers of the military wing of Hamas. From spring 2023 at the latest, one of the Berlin-based suspects was involved in locating an earth depot with weapons in Europe on behalf of Hamas, which the organization owned there in the past. He received his instructions from Hamas leadership cadres in Lebanon.
The weapons should therefore be brought to Berlin and kept ready for possible attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. In October, the three men living in Berlin set out from Berlin several times in search of the weapons. They were supported by the man who was now arrested in Rotterdam.
First notice of summer
According to information from security circles, the men’s activities are not directly related to the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7th. Rather, 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 place of retreat for Hamas members, where they have only attempted to carry out propaganda and collect donations. In order to prevent this from happening, two associations close to Hamas were banned in 2002 and 2005.
“My thanks go to everyone involved who, with this successful investigation, has made their contribution to ensuring that Jews in Europe can continue to live in security and peace,” said Federal Justice Minister 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.” Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said the arrests showed “that our security authorities are extremely vigilant and are acting consistently.” “We have the Islamist scene in our sights.”
Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor said: “We always feared it – now we know it: Hamas and its henchmen have planned attacks in Europe. Our thanks go to the security authorities who protected us this time.” You have to continue to be vigilant in order to always be one step ahead of the terrorists.
Fear of attacks in Germany
Since the terrorist attack on October 7th, fears have been increasing that attacks could also occur in Germany. It was only at the beginning of November that Federal Interior Minister 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 assumes there are around 450 members of Hamas. According to the findings, their activities have so far included expressions of sympathy and propaganda activities as well as collecting donations. In contrast to Islamist terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS), Hamas has not yet carried out any attacks in Western countries, but only in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Suspects also arrested in Denmark
Three people were arrested in Denmark on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack. According to Israeli findings, they also have connections to Hamas – the Danish authorities have not yet confirmed this. In a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing the foreign intelligence service Mossad, there was talk of seven people being arrested in Denmark.
According to the Ritzau news agency, seven defense lawyers were in court at a detention hearing in Copenhagen’s neighboring municipality of Frederiksberg that evening – three for those arrested and four who represented four people who were not arrested, as it was said. Those arrested include two men and a young woman. According to dpa information, the security authorities in Germany do not yet assume that these suspects have any common plans with the men arrested in Rotterdam and Berlin. There were similar signals from Denmark.
The Danish authorities did not provide any information about possible terrorist targets or the motive behind them. The operational head of the PET secret service, Flemming Drejer, said at a short press conference in Copenhagen only that they were accused of violating terror laws. He also spoke of another arrest in the Netherlands. The investigation revealed a network of people who were in the process of preparing a terrorist act, said Drejer. There are connections to the gang environment and abroad.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
