Four Hamas members arrested in Berlin
A total of four suspected members of the radical Islamic organization Hamas have been arrested in Germany and the Netherlands for allegedly planning attacks. According to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe, three arrests were made in Berlin and one in Rotterdam. The detainees are suspected of wanting to locate a weapons depot and keep it ready for attacks on Jewish institutions.
The quartet are said to be long-standing members of Hamas who have already been involved in the organization's operations abroad. They have close ties to leaders of the "Al-Qassem" brigades. These included the recently killed deputy commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades, Khalil Hamed Al Kharraz.
From spring 2023 at the latest, one of those arrested was tasked with locating an underground weapons depot in Europe that the organization had set up there in the past. He is said to have received instructions from the Hamas leadership in Lebanon. The weapons were to be brought to Berlin and kept ready for possible attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. In October 2023, the detainees searched for the weapons several times.
Two of the men were born in Lebanon, one has Egyptian citizenship and another has a Dutch passport. In the course of Friday, three of them will be brought before the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice. As one of the men has only been arrested provisionally, a decision will then be made on whether to issue an arrest warrant.
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The arrested individuals are associated with Hamas, a radical Islamic organization known for orchestrating terrorist attacks. The alleged plans of these members included discovering a weapons depot for possible attacks on Jewish institutions.
Source: www.ntv.de
