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Prosecutors said the suspects were “foreign operatives” of Hamas who had been involved in obtaining weapons for the group in Germany
German Police is seen at the Theresienwiese grounds of the Oktoberfest beer festival on October 1, 2025 in Munich. (AFP photo)
German authorities on Wednesday arrested three suspected members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Berlin, accusing them of planning attacks on Jewish and Israeli sites within the country. Weapons, including firearms and a large quantity of ammunition, were seized during the arrests.
Federal prosecutors said the suspects were “foreign operatives” of Hamas who had been involved in obtaining weapons for the group in Germany.
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In a statement, they confirmed that an AK-47 assault rifle, several pistols, and “a considerable amount” of ammunition were recovered.
“The weapons were to be used by Hamas for deadly attacks targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany,” the statement added.
According to the German news outlet Der Spiegel, searches were also carried out in Leipzig and Oberhausen around the same time as the arrests in Berlin.
The suspects are accused of being members of a foreign terrorist organisation and of preparing a “serious act of violence endangering the state.” Two of the men were partially identified as German citizens Abed Al G. and Ahmad I., while the third, Wael F. M., was described as Lebanese-born. His nationality has not yet been confirmed.
All three suspects are expected to appear before a court on Thursday.
Germany classifies Hamas as a terrorist organisation, and all activities connected to the group are banned under German law. The country has also witnessed a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents since the Gaza conflict intensified last year.
The conflict was reignited after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which left 1,219 people dead, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures.
Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza has resulted in at least 66,148 Palestinian deaths, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. UN officials consider the figures reliable. More than half of those killed are believed to be women and children.
Germany, which has a long-standing commitment to Israel due to its historical responsibility for the Holocaust, has backed Israel’s right to self-defence but has also faced growing domestic unrest over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
(With inputs from AFP)
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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
Germany
October 01, 2025, 21:42 IST
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