Germany arrests suspected Hamas members accused of procuring weapons to target Jewish or Israeli institutions
By Max Saltman, Inke Kappeler, Ibrahim Dahman, CNN
(CNN) — German police arrested three suspected Hamas members who were allegedly procuring weapons “for assassinations targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions,” German prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday.
The three accused, who police only identified by first names and initials of their last names, were charged with membership in a foreign terrorist organization and preparing an act of violence endangering the state.
The suspects were arrested in Berlin and are scheduled to appear before a judge on Thursday. Two of the accused are German and the third was born in Lebanon.
“Since at least the summer of 2025,” prosecutors claim in their statement, the three “have been involved in procuring firearms and ammunition” for Hamas.
During the arrests, prosecutors say, police found “various weapons, including an AK 47 assault rifle and several pistols, and a considerable amount of ammunition.”
Hamas denied any connection to the suspects in a statement on Wednesday, calling the allegations that they are members “baseless.” The militant group claimed further that it “limits its struggle” to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Police have arrested suspected members of Hamas in Germany before. In December 2023, German and Dutch law enforcement arrested four people accused of plotting to attack Jewish institutions in Europe. According to Reuters, the four went on trial in Berlin in February.
The-CNN-Wire
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