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CrimeGermany

Germany arrests 3 suspected Hamas members

Jenipher Camino Gonzalez with AFP, dpa, AP, Reuters
October 1, 2025

Authorities said two Germans and one Lebanese national had procured weapons to be used in violent acts targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany.

A police van in Berlin with the TV tower in the background
Anti-terrorism investigators monitored the men as they made a weapons exchangeImage: A. Friedrichs/IMAGO

Prosecutors in Berlin said they have arrested three suspected Hamas operatives. The suspects were preparing attacks on Israeli and Jewish institutions in Germany, authorities said.

Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by Germany, the EU, the US and several governments. 

The three men, two Germans and one Lebanese national, were identified by authorities as Abed Al G., Wael F. M. and Ahmad I. Their last names were not disclosed, in line with German privacy rules.

Germany arrests three alleged Hamas members

02:29

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The men are suspected of being involved in gathering firearms and ammunition to be used for acts of violence.

"The weapons were to be used by Hamas for assassinations targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany," according to the Office of the Federal Public Prosecutor General.

Security forces found various weapons during the arrest, "including an AK-47 assault rifle, several pistols and a considerable amount of ammunition."

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in a statement that the incident represented "a threat of terrorism" and that the suspects had been under authorities' surveillance.

Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig said it was clear that "Jewish life in Germany is under threat."

Hubig said the state must act against these threats: "We all have a duty to protect Jewish life. That also means zero tolerance for antisemitism, under any circumstances."

How were they caught?

Interior Minister Dobrindt said they had been monitoring the threat all along.

"A few months ago, a terrorist suspect known to us with Hamas contacts entered Germany," Dobrindt said, adding that since then, authorities began monitoring him. Dobrindt said the suspects were apprehended "at the right time."

The Federal Prosecutor's Office said the men were intercepted by anti-terrorism investigators, who monitored the suspects during a meeting in Berlin for a weapons exchange.

As operational forces intervened, they discovered functional weapons, including a Glock pistol.

Officials said related searches were conducted in the eastern city of Leipzig, where one of the suspects lives. 

Authorities also carried out a search in the western city of Oberhausen.

The suspects will appear in court on Thursday, with authorities looking to determine whether the men were directed by Hamas leadership or acted alone as sympathizers with Hamas.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

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