International Four alleged Hamas members arrested in Germany and the Netherlands who were trying to create a weapons depot

German police have arrested three alleged members of the Islamist organization Hamas in Berlin, in an operation coordinated with the Netherlands, according to the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office. In Rotterdam, according to a statement, another Lebanese-born man was arrested. Of those arrested in Berlin, one is Egyptian, another Dutch and the third a citizen born in Lebanon. The operation is linked to the storage of weapons that were supposedly going to be used in attacks against Jewish institutions in Europe. All those detained are accused of belonging to a foreign terrorist organization. According to the statement, they maintained “close ties with leaders of the military wing of Hamas.” According to the German Prosecutor’s Office, one of the suspects, based in Berlin, participated in the spring in the creation of a clandestine Hamas weapons depot in Europe. , following instructions from leading Hamas cadres in Lebanon. The weapons were to be taken to Berlin and kept ready for possible attacks against Jewish institutions in Europe. In October, the three men living in Berlin had traveled several times from the German capital to the Middle East to obtain weapons. In their mission, they were supported by the man detained in Rotterdam. Security sources consulted by the German agency Dpa explained that the activities of the detainees are not directly related to the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, but go back to the last summer. “My thanks to all those involved who, with this successful investigation, have contributed to ensuring that the Jews of Europe can continue to live in safety and peace,” declared Justice Minister Marco Buschmann. “We must do everything possible to ensure that the Jews of our country do not have to fear for their safety again,” he added. Since the Hamas attack in Israel, fears that there could be attacks in Germany have been growing. In early November, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser banned any Hamas-related activity in the country. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the domestic intelligence agency, estimates that there are about 450 Hamas members in Germany. . So far, its activities have included demonstrations of sympathy and propaganda activities, as well as collecting donations. Unlike Islamist terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS), Hamas has not carried out attacks in Western countries to date, but exclusively in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. In Denmark, the authorities also announced today the arrest of three suspects of preparing a terrorist attack. According to the Israeli foreign intelligence service, they also have links to Hamas.