German federal prosecutors announced Wednesday the arrest of three suspected Hamas members believed to be preparing a serious act of violence on German soil, Reuters reported.
The suspects - identified under German privacy laws as Abed Al G., a German citizen; Wael F. M., born in Lebanon; and Ahmad I., also a German citizen - were apprehended in Berlin.
Authorities suspect the men of procuring firearms and ammunition for Hamas since at least the summer, with the intent to carry out assassinations targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany.
“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,” federal prosecutors stated on Wednesday.
According to Der Spiegel, anti-terror investigators observed the suspects meeting in Berlin for a weapons handover. Operational forces intervened and discovered functional weapons at the scene.
The arrests come months after four Hamas members went on trial in Berlin in February, accused of plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. Prosecutors described that case as the first of its kind against Islamist Hamas terrorists in Germany.
Last November, German federal prosecutors announced that they have charged four alleged members of Hamas, accusing them of acquiring and storing weapons for the group in Europe.
The suspects include two individuals born in Lebanon, an Egyptian national, and a Dutch citizen, all facing charges of "membership in a foreign terrorist organization," according to a statement from the federal prosecutor's office.
Prosecutors alleged the men "held important positions within the association with direct ties to leaders of the military wing" of Hamas.
The four suspects were apprehended in December 2023. Dutch citizen Nazih R. was arrested in Rotterdam by local authorities, while the other three were detained in Berlin.
Germany banned activities of Hamas and affiliated organizations following the group's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Yom Kippur in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)