Attacks thwarted – Central Council of Jews: “Threat is frightening”

The German federal prosecutor’s office has had four suspected members of the Islamist Hamas arrested in Berlin and Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Three people were also arrested in Denmark. The background is said to have been planned attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe.

“Protecting Jewish Life”
“At the same time, it is reassuring how vigilantly the security authorities are protecting Jewish life in Germany. My thanks go to you,” said Chairman Schuster of the Central Council.

According to a statement, three men have been arrested in Berlin: Egyptian citizen Mohamed B., Dutch Nazih R. and Lebanon-born Abdelhamid Al A. The eldest of the suspected conspirators, Ibrahim El-R., who was shot in Lebanon in 1967 born, was temporarily arrested by the police in Rotterdam.

“Close ties with Hamas leadership”
The suspects are accused of membership of a foreign terrorist organization. They are said to have had “close ties to senior leaders” of Hamas’s military wing.

“My thanks go to all those involved who have contributed to this successful investigation to ensure that Jews in Europe can continue to live in safety and peace,” said German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP). “We must therefore do everything we can to ensure that Jews in our country do not have to fear for their safety again.” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said the arrests showed “that our security authorities are extremely vigilant and act consistently. .” “We have the Islamist scene in our sights.”

“Stay one step ahead of the terrorists”
Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor said: “We always feared it – now we know: Hamas and its proxies have been planning attacks in Europe. Our thanks go to the security authorities who protected us this time.” We must remain vigilant to always stay one step ahead of the terrorists.

Since the terrorist attack on October 7, fears have increased that attacks could also take place in Germany. In early November, Faeser issued a ban on Hamas activities, which is intended to make it easier for police to take action at rallies. She also banned the German branch of the Palestinian network Samidoun.

In Germany, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution estimates that Hamas has about 450 members. Unlike Islamist terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda or Islamic State (IS), Hamas has not yet committed attacks in Western countries, but only in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

In Denmark, women are also among those arrested
Three people were arrested in Denmark on Thursday on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack. According to Israeli findings, they also have ties to Hamas – Danish authorities have not yet confirmed this. A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, citing the foreign intelligence service Mossad, mentioned the arrest of seven people in Denmark.

According to Ritzau news agency, seven lawyers attended a detention hearing in Copenhagen’s neighboring Frederiksberg municipality that evening – three for those arrested and four representing four people who had not been arrested, as was said. Those arrested include two men and a young woman. According to information from dpa, security authorities in Germany do not yet assume that these suspects have common plans with the men arrested in Rotterdam and Berlin. There were similar signals from Denmark.