4 males who the German authorities say are senior members of Hamas have been arrested on Thursday on prices that they have been making preparations to assault Jewish establishments in Europe, German officers stated.
Three of the lads have been taken into custody in Berlin and one other was arrested by Dutch police within the port metropolis of Rotterdam, Marco Buschmann, Germany’s justice minister, stated in an announcement.
The German federal prosecutor’s workplace stated the 4 males have been longstanding members of Hamas with ties to its navy wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and that they’ve been energetic within the group’s “overseas operations.” Hamas controls the Gaza Strip and carried out assaults on Israel on Oct. 7 during which 1,200 individuals have been killed, igniting a battle with Israel.
Prosecutors gave few particulars of the alleged plot. They stated the lads had been ordered by Hamas leaders in Lebanon to carry weapons to the German capital, the place they may very well be used to assault the Jewish group in Europe. It was unclear whether or not the lads had smuggled weapons into Berlin or not.
The authorities additionally stated the lads have been tracked in October 2023 as they looked for weapons that Hamas operatives had saved in an underground cache in Europe a while in the past. It isn’t instantly clear if the lads ever discovered the cache.
The three males arrested in Berlin embody a citizen of Egypt, recognized by authorities solely as Mohamed B., and two males born in Lebanon, recognized as Abdelhamid Al A. and Ibrahim El R., prosecutors stated. The person arrested within the Netherlands was a Dutch citizen, whose identify was given solely as Nazih R.
Legal professionals for the three males couldn’t instantly be reached. The three males arrested in Germany have been scheduled to look earlier than a choose on Friday.
“The arrest of 4 suspected members of the terrorist group Hamas reveals that our safety authorities are extraordinarily vigilant and act persistently,” Nancy Faeser, Germany’s inside minister who’s accountable for nationwide safety, stated in an announcement. “Now we have the Islamist scene in our sights.”
