According to a media report, the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas was apparently planning attacks in Germany. According to “Welt am Sonntag”, the suspected targets were the Israeli embassy in Berlin and a US military base in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Map material was found on the cell phone of a suspected Hamas member arrested in Berlin in December that suggested possible spying on the locations, the newspaper reported, citing security authorities.
According to the newspaper report, the Lebanese-born man was arrested in the German capital in December 2023. His cell phone was confiscated. The Federal Prosecutor General accuses the man of having been involved in locating a depot for Hamas weapons in Europe from spring 2023 at the latest. According to the information, these were to be brought to Berlin for possible attacks in Europe. According to the newspaper report, the order came from Hamas military leadership cadres in Lebanon.
Three suspected members of the Palestinian organization who were also arrested are said to have been involved in the search for locations.
According to information from “Welt am Sonntag”, the contacts of Hamas supporters living in Berlin with military cadres in Lebanon are more extensive than expected. An evaluation of articles in online media showed primarily connections to the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, which is considered a stronghold of Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.
The Federal Prosecutor General did not want to comment on the information found on the cell phone of the suspected Hamas member to “Welt am Sonntag”. A spokesman for the authority referred to ongoing investigations.
Hamas fighters carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, brutally killing more than 1,170 people, according to Israeli sources. In addition, 252 people were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip. In response to the attack, Israel has since taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 35,800 people have been killed so far.