Prosecutors say the suspects established arms depots in Bulgaria and Denmark, and have been plotting assaults in Germany and past.
A trial started in Germany on Tuesday for 4 alleged Hamas members suspected of building weapons stockpiles throughout Europe for use in potential assaults on Israeli and Jewish targets.
In a landmark case, the nation’s high prosecutor accuses the boys of being members of a overseas terrorist organisation.
“For the primary time in Germany, individuals are going through expenses of collaborating as members of the overseas terrorist organisation Hamas,” mentioned prosecutor Jochen Weingarten.
The suspects are accused of getting scouted areas throughout Europe and created arms depots for the militant group, allegedly transferring weapons throughout the continent within the lead-up to Hamas’ 7 October 2023 assault on Israel.
That assault killed roughly 1,200 folks, largely civilians, whereas round 250 hostages have been kidnapped.
In response, Israel launched a large-scale air and floor offensive in Gaza, which has killed over 48,200 Palestinians. in response to Gaza’s Well being Ministry. The ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, says greater than half of the deceased are ladies and kids.
German authorities mentioned that Hamas additionally explored potential assaults on the Israeli embassy in Berlin, the neighborhood of Tempelhof Airport within the capital, and the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The 4 defendants — Abdelhamid Al A., Mohamed B., Nazih R., and Ibrahim El-R. — have been detained in December 2023. Prosecutors recognized them solely by their first identify and final preliminary in step with German privateness legal guidelines.
All held senior roles inside Hamas, in response to prosecutors.
Investigators allege that the boys established a weapons cache in Bulgaria in 2019 and one other in Denmark later that yr.Â
Makes an attempt to create an analogous stockpile in Poland have been unsuccessful, prosecutors mentioned.
