Denmark and Germany announced on Thursday the arrest of seven terror suspects, including several alleged Hamas members, suspected of plotting attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions in Europe in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The announcements were released separately and it was unclear what the context of the arrests was or whether they were the result of coordinated actions or possibly even a cross-continental operation.
According to Danish police, three people were arrested across Denmark, while a fourth person was arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of conspiring to commit a “terrorist attack.”
In Germany, authorities said three suspected members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas were arrested on Thursday for allegedly planning attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. Two men were arrested in Berlin and one in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, and a fourth suspect was temporarily detained in Berlin, the German federal prosecutor's office said. Authorities identified the men only by their first name and the first letter of their last name, in line with German data protection regulations.
Officials in Copenhagen did not provide details other than to say the arrests were “foreign-related” and “related to criminal gangs,” highlighting the outlawed, mostly immigrant gang Loyal to Familia, which has long been behind Feuds, violence, robberies, extortions, etc. are linked to drug sales in the Danish capital.
A police officer stands outside the court in Frederiksberg, Denmark, after police carried out an operation that led to the arrest of three people in the country who were to be charged with violating terrorism laws, December 14, 2023. Ritzau Scanpix/Emil Nicolai Helms/ Portal
However, Flemming Drejer, the operational head of Denmark's security and intelligence service, cryptically said the police had a “particular focus” on Jewish institutions. He said Denmark was not changing its terror threat level, which has been at “severe” since 2010, the second highest level.
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“People abroad have been charged… It is a serious situation,” Drejer said at a news conference, adding that the arrests were carried out in “collaboration with our foreign partners” and that those arrested were part of a “network.”
The suspects will face a custody hearing within 24 hours, he said, likely behind “double closed doors,” meaning he could not provide details about the case.
“This is extremely serious,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Thursday from Brussels, where she was attending an EU summit.
“It is of course completely unacceptable with regard to Israel and Gaza that there is anyone who brings a conflict anywhere else in the world into Danish society,” she added.
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In the Netherlands, according to spokesman Jesse Brobbel, a 57-year-old Dutchman was arrested in the city of Rotterdam at the request of German authorities. On Tuesday, the Dutch counterterrorism agency raised the country's threat alert to the second highest level, saying the possibility of an attack in the country was now “significant.”
The four arrested in Germany are Abdelhamid Al A., born in Lebanon; Egyptian citizen Mohamed B.; Dutch citizens Nazih R. and Ibrahim El-R., born in Lebanon.
Authorities claimed three of the men were “long-time members of Hamas and had participated in Hamas operations abroad.” They said the suspects were “closely linked to the military leadership” of Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann thanked the authorities for the arrests and said that due to the Israel-Hamas war, “attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions have also increased in our country in recent weeks.”
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office praised the alleged arrests of seven Hamas suspects in Europe, but attributed the arrests to Danish police.
The prime minister's office said Denmark had arrested seven activists acting on behalf of Hamas and “thwarted an attack aimed at killing innocent citizens on European soil.” Netanyahu's office said Israeli intelligence services “continue to operate… to deter Hamas' intentions and eliminate its capabilities.”
The discrepancies between the Danish, German and Israeli statements could not be immediately resolved.
Earlier this month, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson warned that Europe faces a “major risk of terrorist attacks” over the Christmas holidays due to the fallout from the fighting in Gaza.
Denmark's foreign intelligence service FE said on Thursday in its annual assessment for 2023 that “the war between Israel and Hamas has once again shown that unresolved conflicts in the immediate vicinity of Europe can quickly escalate and lead to widespread regional instability.”
Israel and Hamas at war
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