German authorities announced Hamas arrests on Wednesday after police detained three suspected operatives accused of planning attacks on Jewish institutions. Prosecutors said the men, arrested in Berlin, “have been involved in procuring firearms and ammunition” for Hamas since at least the summer. Officials charged them with membership in a foreign terrorist organization and preparing an act of violence endangering the state.
The timing of the arrests—just one day before Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar—underscored the potential threat. Prosecutors confirmed that during searches, officials found “various weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle and several pistols, and a considerable amount of ammunition.” The suspects include two German citizens and one man born in Lebanon, all of whom are expected to appear in court Thursday.
This case follows earlier prosecutions of Hamas-linked operatives in Germany. In February, four men went on trial in Berlin after a joint German-Dutch investigation accused them of plotting attacks on Jewish institutions across Europe under Hamas’s direction.
The arrests come as Europe and the United States continue to confront surging anti-Semitism. President Donald Trump has led efforts to crack down on hate, especially after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel. His administration withheld billions in federal funds from universities that failed to protect Jewish students and revoked visas of foreign nationals tied to anti-Semitic activity.
