Man suspected of helping plan Hamas attacks on Jewish targets in Europe is arrested
Germany’s Federal Prosecutor says the suspect, a 39-year-old British man, was a member of Hamas and had twice met a fellow member in Berlin over the summer
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Police seized weapons and arrested a British man suspected of links to alleged Hamas members in Germany who are accused of plotting attacks on Jewish targets, authorities said Thursday.
The man, 39, named only as Mohammed A. for privacy reasons, was arrested in London on a German arrest warrant earlier this week, German prosecutors said.
Germany’s Federal Prosecutor said the suspect was a member of the Hamas terror group and had twice met a fellow member in Berlin over the summer.
His Berlin contact, a German citizen known as Abed Al G., was one of three alleged Hamas “foreign operatives” detained last month on suspicion of attempting to procure weapons for the attacks. Police seized an AK-47 assault rifle, handguns and ammunition during their arrests. Hamas has denied any connection to the three.
The suspect arrested this week had been given five handguns and ammunition, which he transported to Vienna for storage, according to Germany’s Federal Prosecutor.
“The purpose of the activity was to prepare deadly attacks by Hamas on Israeli or Jewish establishments in Germany and Europe,” the German prosecutors said.
Austria’s state intelligence agency DSN seized the arms in Vienna after probing “a globally active terrorist organization with close ties” to Hamas, the country’s interior ministry said in a statement.
The Austrian ministry, too, said, “There is a suspicion that a group has brought weapons to Austria in order to have them ready for possible terrorist attacks” targeting “Israeli or Jewish institutions in Europe in particular.”
The UK’s National Crime Agency, which investigates serious and organized crime, said the suspect was scheduled to appear in court in London on November 10.
The Times of Israel Community.