Three suspected members of Palestinian militant group Hamas were arrested in Berlin Wednesday for allegedly planning attacks on Jewish and Israeli sites, German prosecutors said, with weapons and ammunition also seized.
The suspects were "foreign operatives" of Hamas, who have "have been involved in procuring firearms and ammunition for the organization" in Germany, said federal prosecutors in a statement.
An AK-47 assault rifle and several pistols, along with a "considerable amount" of ammunition, were seized when the suspects were arrested, it said.
"The weapons were to be used by Hamas for deadly attacks targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany," it said.
According to news outlet Der Spiegel, searches were also carried out in the cities of Leipzig and Oberhausen at around the same time as the arrests in Berlin.
The suspects are accused of membership of a foreign terrorist organization and preparing a "serious act of violence endangering the state," according to prosecutors.
Two of the suspects were partially identified as German citizens Abed Al G. and Ahmad I. The third, Wael F. M., was described only as "Lebanese-born," as the prosecutor's office said his nationality was not yet clear.
They will appear in court Thursday.
Germany considers Hamas a terrorist organization, and its activities and any organizations linked to the group are banned in the country.
The war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel's relentless military offensive, has proved deeply divisive in Germany.
Germany, which has long been seeking to atone for the Holocaust and is traditionally a staunch Israeli ally, has seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents.
AFP
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