Hamas members arrested in Berlin
Hamas is also active in Germany. Three of its members have now been arrested in Berlin, another in Rotterdam. They were supposed to locate a terrorist weapons depot which, according to the authorities, is located in Europe and thus create the basis for attacks on Jewish institutions.
In Germany and the Netherlands, a total of four suspected members of the radical Islamic group Hamas have been arrested 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 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 went in search of 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 provisionally arrested, a decision will then be made on whether to issue an arrest warrant.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
The arrests in Berlin and Rotterdam are connected to Hamas's alleged plans for terrorist attacks, involving the potential use of weapons stored in a European depot. The arrested Hamas members are suspected of having ties to the Al-Qassem Brigades.
Source: www.ntv.de
