Unlock Editor's Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, editor of the FT, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Police in Germany and the Netherlands have arrested four suspected Hamas members who allegedly planned terrorist attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe.
A statement from the federal prosecutor's office said the four were suspected of membership in a foreign terrorist organization.
Three men – identified as Abdelhamid Al A and Ibrahim El-R, both born in Lebanon – and Egyptian citizen Mohamed B were arrested in Berlin. A fourth, Dutch citizen Nazih R, was arrested by Dutch police in Rotterdam on a European arrest warrant.
The arrests come two months after Hamas's bloody rampage in southern Israel on October 7, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
According to Gaza authorities, Israel responded with a bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip that killed more than 18,000 Palestinians.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has raised fears that Jewish community facilities in Europe could be vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
In Berlin, Jewish residents' homes were daubed with the Star of David and in October unknown attackers threw Molotov cocktails at a synagogue in the city.
German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann thanked everyone involved in Thursday's arrests, saying they “contributed to ensuring that Jews in Europe can continue to live in security and peace.”
Prosecutors said one of the four arrested men, Abdelhamid Al A., was attempting to locate an underground weapons cache that Hamas had secretly created in the past and bring it to Berlin for use on “potential terrorist attacks.” terrorist attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe.
They said that Abdelhamid Al A, Mohamed B and Nazih R repeatedly traveled from Berlin in October 2023 to search for the weapons, with Ibrahim El-R providing assistance.
Prosecutors said the four men were “long-time members of Hamas,” had taken part in Hamas operations abroad and were “closely connected to the leadership” of Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades.
If the alleged conspiracy is confirmed, it would mean a significant escalation of Hamas activities in Germany. Until now, the militant group has viewed the country primarily as a place to raise funds and spread propaganda, carrying out attacks only in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Meanwhile, police in Denmark said they had arrested three people they had charged with terrorism in raids in five different regions of the Scandinavian country.
They declined to comment on any links to Hamas, but said the detainees were linked to the Loyal to Familia criminal gang, among others.
Danish police declined to speculate on the motives but said they were “informed near Jewish landmarks.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying the Danish arrests had “thwarted an attack aimed at killing innocent civilians on European soil.”
It said that in recent years, Hamas “has sought to expand its operational capabilities around the world, particularly in Europe, in order to realize its aspirations to attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets at all costs.”
Danish intelligence said late Thursday that there was no direct connection between the arrests in that country and those in Germany. It added that a person detained in the Netherlands over the Danish case had nothing to do with the German matter.
The agency declined to comment on Israel's claims against Hamas, stating: “In this case, there are links to other countries – but we are at an early stage of the investigation where we have not yet conclusively determined which ones.” the Danish case has foreign connections.”