German prosecutors announced in a statement Wednesday that authorities have apprehended three suspected Hamas members who were allegedly procuring weapons “for assassinations targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions.”
The trio has been charged with membership in a foreign terrorist organization and preparing an act of violence endangering the state, in a somewhat rare case, given Hamas does not tend to operate transnationally – especially in moments of direct, intensified war with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
However, the three – so far only identified by the first names and last initials, are not Palestinian. Two are said to be German, while the third was born in Lebanon. They are set to appear before a judge on Thursday.
The men identified as Abed Al G, Wael F M and Ahmad I were arrested in Berlin, which notably came a day before Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
CNN has cited a prosecutor statement as saying, “Since at least the summer of 2025 the three have been involved in procuring firearms and ammunition” for Hamas.
Police found “various weapons, including an AK 47 assault rifle and several pistols, and a considerable amount of ammunition.” during raids on their homes during the arrest.
By this statement, it doesn’t appear as if they had yet acquired too big of an arsenal, but the prospect of random acts of terror and the potential for mass shootings by Islamist operatives remains a significant danger to Europe.
Interestingly, Hamas is not claiming responsibility for the alleged attack plot, but has instead denied that these men are its operatives and rejected that it conducts attacks on European soil:
Hamas said in a statement that the allegations against it were “baseless” and aimed to “undermine the German people’s sympathy for the Palestinian people”.
The group added that it had a policy of limiting its activities to what it considers Palestinian territory.
Back in December 2023, German and Dutch authorities arrested four people accused of plotting to attack Jewish institutions in Europe – but in such instances it remains murky whether the plotters were directly members or Hamas or else ‘Hamas-inspired’ or loosely linked.
Hezbollah too, out of Lebanon, is a group which is not known for conducting attacks on an international level, but typically stays confined to south Lebanon or the Mideast region, carrying out anti-Israel operations and missile strikes along the border.
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