According to authorities in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, seven people—four of whom are suspected of being Hamas members—were detained on suspicion of plotting attacks against Jewish institutions in Europe on Thursday.
The arrests came as Israel continued its campaign to destroy Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The war began on October 7 when militants from the Palestinian Islamist movement launched a cross-border attack on Israeli towns.
German prosecutors said in a statement that all four of the suspects were longtime Hamas members with close ties to the organization’s military branch leadership: three were held in Berlin and one in the Netherlands.
An official from Hamas refuted any affiliation with the group among those detained.
According to police, three persons who were detained in Denmark would face charges under the criminal code’s anti-terrorism clause and be brought before a judge for initial interrogation. If there was a connection between the arrests in Germany and the Netherlands and those in Denmark, it was unclear.
German prosecutors said that while Egyptian national Mohamed B and Lebanese nationals Abdelhamid Al A and Ibrahim El-R were detained in the German capital, Dutch national Nazih R was arrested by police in Rotterdam.
Prosecutors said that Abdelhamid Al A was tasked by Hamas leaders in Lebanon with locating weapons suppliers. Prosecutors claimed that the weapons were scheduled to be transported to Berlin and stored there in case of future terrorist attacks against Jewish institutions.
“Following the terrible attacks by Hamas on the Israeli population, attacks on Jews in Jewish institutions have also increased in our country in recent weeks,” German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said in a statement on the detentions.
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters: “We deny there are members of Hamas detained in Denmark, Germany, or any other European country. Publishing these allegations aims to influence the mass rallies that are supportive of Palestine in Europe.”
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