Berlin and Rotterdam witnessed the apprehension of four individuals believed to be part of a Hamas terror cell, accused of planning terrorist attacks against European Jewish institutions, Germany’s federal public prosecutor’s office announced on Thursday.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the four suspects, described as “long-standing members of Hamas,” have close ties to the military leadership of the Palestinian militant group. The arrests were made in connection with suspicions that the group was attempting to acquire illegal weapons, intended for potential use in terrorist attacks against Jewish institutions in Europe. The weapons were allegedly destined for Berlin, where they were to be kept ready for such attacks.
The arrests follow Germany’s heightened scrutiny of certain Muslim and Palestinian groups in the aftermath of surprise attacks by Hamas on October 7, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people in Israel. The surge in antisemitism in Germany since the onset of the conflict has prompted increased security measures and legal actions.
In November, the German interior ministry not only reinforced the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization but also disbanded the German branch of Samidoun, an international solidarity network for Palestinian prisoners. Berlin contended that the group was being used as a front to disseminate antisemitic propaganda.
Simultaneously, in Denmark, three individuals were arrested on Thursday on suspicion of planning a terror attack, as disclosed by Flemming Drejer, the head of the Danish intelligence service. While the suspects were said to have “ties” to organized crime, it remains unclear if their arrests are directly linked to the operations in Germany and the Netherlands.
