Germany โhas arrested three men suspected โof plotting attacks against Jewish institutions on behalfโค of Hamas, federal prosecutors announced โฃTuesday.โฃ The arrests, carried out inโข Berlin,โฃ Essen, and Marl, โฃcome amid heightened concerns over rising antisemitism and potential threats linked โto the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The alleged plot, commissioned by Hamas operatives, aimed to identify and scout โpotential โtargets – including a synagogue inโฃ Berlin – for possible attacks, according to prosecutors. This growth underscores โขthe reach โคof Hamas’sโค activities beyond โthe Middle East and โขraises alarmโ about theโข potential for violence โขtargeting Jewish communities inโฃ Europe. Theโ inquiry โคbegan inโข Novemberโ 2023, revealing the suspects were โคtasked with gathering information and preparing for potential attacks while remaining in contact withโ Hamas members.
Theโ three suspectsโ – identified as Abdelhamid A., Mohammed โA.,and Wissam H. – are German โคcitizens of Lebaneseโ origin. Prosecutors allege Abdelhamid A. and Mohammed A. were directly instructed by Hamas to carry out reconnaissance and prepare for โattacks, while Wissamโฃ H. โฃis accused of assisting with the planning.
Investigators โขfound that the suspects โhad been tasked with identifying security vulnerabilities at Jewish institutions and gathering information about potential โขtargets. No attacks were carried out, and authorities intervened before any concrete plans โcould be implemented.”The โคarrests demonstrate that Germany takesโค theโค protection of Jewish life very seriouslyโ and will not tolerate attempts to import the conflictโฃ from the Middleโ East onto โฃGermanโ soil,” โคstated โa spokesperson for the Federal โขProsecutor’s Office.
Germany hasโ a history of strong support for Israel and has banned symbols and activities associated โคwithโข Hamas. The countryโค has also seen aโ surge in antisemitic incidents since the start of theโฃ Israel-Hamas war in October, prompting increased security measures โคat Jewish facilities. Theโข investigation is ongoing, โand authorities are examining โขthe โฃfull extent of โthe suspects’ connections to Hamas and โฃany potentialโ additional threats.
