By Madeline Chambers
BERLIN, Oct 1 (Reuters) – German police arrested three men they suspect of preparing a serious act of violence against Jewish targets in Germany for Hamas, prosecutors said on Wednesday, a week before the second anniversary of the militant Islamist group’s attack on Israel.
Prosecutors suspect the three men of being foreign operatives for Hamas and of being involved in procuring firearms and ammunition to be used for assassinations targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany, they said.
Hamas on Wednesday denied links to the three men, calling the allegations unfounded and saying its struggle is “confined to opposing Israeli occupation in Palestine.”
ASSAULT RIFLES, PISTOLS, AMMUNITION FOUND
“In the course of today’s arrests, various weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle and several pistols, as well as a considerable amount of ammunition, were found,” the federal prosecutors said in a statement.
The three, identified in line with German privacy laws only as German citizen Abed Al G., Wael F. M., born in Lebanon, and German citizen Ahmad I., were arrested in Berlin on Wednesday. A security source said the three were in their 30s or 40s.
Reuters was not immediately able to contact lawyers for the accused.
Hamas, which has been running Gaza and is backed by Iran, is designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union and a number of other countries including the United States.
US Designates Four Iran-Aligned Militias as Terrorist Organizations
In February, four Hamas members suspected of plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe went on trial in Berlin in what prosecutors described as the first court case against militants of the Palestinian group in Germany.
Anti-terrorism investigators observed the accused meeting in Berlin for a weapon handover before operational forces intervened and discovered functional weapons, including a Glock pistol, said a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office.
Forensic technicians are examining the arsenal and searches have also taken place in the eastern city of Leipzig, where one of the suspects lives. Authorities also conducted a search in Oberhausen in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the spokesperson added.
Germany is one of Israel’s strongest allies due to the legacy of the Holocaust and security is tight at synagogues and other Jewish institutions.
It did not join France, Britain and several other countries last month in defying Israel’s wishes and recognising Palestinian statehood.
Hamas has not yet responded to a 20-point plan for Gaza by U.S. President Donald Trump, which includes disarmament of the militant group.
(Additional reporting by Nidal al-MughrabiWriting by Madeline ChambersEditing by Kirsti Knolle and Gareth Jones)
BERLIN, Oct 2 (Reuters) – A judge in Germany ordered into pretrial detention three men suspected by prosecutors of being members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and preparing attacks on Jewish targets in Germany, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Prosecutors said they suspect the three men of being foreign operatives for Hamas and of being involved in procuring firearms and ammunition to be used for attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions.
The men were arrested on Wednesday at a time of heightened security around Jewish buildings, a week before the second anniversary of the militant Islamist group’s attack on Israel.
In Britain, two people were killed on Thursday in an attack at a synagogue in the city of Manchester by an assailant who was later shot dead by law enforcement personnel, the police said.
Hamas on Wednesday denied links to the three suspects in Germany, calling the allegations unfounded and saying its struggle is “confined to opposing Israeli occupation in Palestine.”
“(The men) were brought before the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice who issued arrest warrants and ordered their remand in custody,” said the prosecutor’s office.
The three, identified in line with German privacy laws only as German citizen Abed Al G., Wael F. M., born in Lebanon, and German citizen Ahmad I., were arrested in Berlin.
Anti-terrorism investigators had been watching the suspects and at a weapons handover discovered arms, including an AK-47 assault rifle, a Glock pistol and large amounts of ammunition, the prosecutor’s office said.
Hamas, which has been running Gaza and is backed by Iran, is designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union and other countries including the United States.
(Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Sergio Non)
