Authorities said two Germans and one Lebanese national had procured weapons to be used in violent acts targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany.
Prosecutors in Berlin said they have arrested three suspected Hamas operatives. The suspects were preparing attacks on Israeli and Jewish institutions in Germany, authorities said.
Hamas has been designated a a terrorist organization by Germany, the EU, the US and several governments.
The three men, two Germans and one Lebanese national, were identified by authorities as Abed Al G., Wael F. M. and Ahmad I. Their last names were not disclosed, in line with German privacy rules.
The men are suspected of being involved in gathering firearms and ammunition to be used for acts of violence.
“The weapons were to be used by Hamas for assassinations targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany,” according to the Office of the Federal Public Prosecutor General.
Security forces found various weapons during the arrest, “including an AK-47 assault rifle, several pistols and a considerable amount of ammunition.”
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in a statement that the incident represented “a threat of terrorism” and that the suspects had been under authorities’ surveillance.
Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig said it was clear that “Jewish life in Germany is under threat.”
Hubig said the state must act against these threats: “We all have a duty to protect Jewish life. That also means zero tolerance for antisemitism, under any circumstances.”
How were they caught?
Interior Minister Dobrindt said they had been monitoring the threat all along.
“A few months ago, a terrorist suspect known to us with Hamas contacts entered Germany,” Dobrindt said, adding that since then, authorities began monitoring him. Dobrindt said the suspects were apprehended “at the right time.”
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the men were intercepted by anti-terrorism investigators, who monitored the suspects during a meeting in Berlin for a weapons exchange.
As operational forces intervened, they discovered functional weapons, including a Glock pistol.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/germany-arrests-3-suspected-hamas-members/a-74207438
