Four Hamas members suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in Europe were arrested Thursday by German and Dutch police, federal prosecutors said.
Three of the members, two Lebanese and one Egyptian, were arrested in Germany, and the fourth member, a Dutch citizen, was booked in the Netherlands, according to the federal prosecutor’s office in Berlin.
The police in that country did not publish the full names of the suspects, according to their law, identifying them only by first name and last initial: Abdelhamid Al A, Ibrahim El-R, Mohamed B and Nazih R.
Authorities believe the suspects were planning attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe, which comes amid warnings about increased terrorist risks across the continent and in the United States due to the war between Israel and Hamas.
“The protection of Jews is our top priority,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement as she touted the vigilance of German and Dutch police. “We use all constitutional means against those who threaten the lives of Jews and the existence of the State of Israel.”
German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said his nation has seen an increase in attacks targeting Jewish people and institutions since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people.
Berlin police confiscate evidence from three of four suspected Hamas members who were arrested Thursday. dpa/picture Alliance via Getty Images Police walk towards the home of one of the suspects accused of planning attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. dpa/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
He described the plot allegedly hatched by the three terrorists in Germany as “shameful and shocking.”
“Therefore, we must do everything possible to ensure that the Jews of our country never again have to fear for their safety,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that the arrests also came after Dutch police arrested three other people suspected of planning a different terrorist attack.
German and Danish officials touted the arrest as Europe works to crack down on terrorist threats and anti-Semitism. dpa/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
“Thanks to an intensive and exhaustive intelligence investigation, today the security and control of Denmark [sic] arrested seven terrorist operatives acting on behalf of the Hamas terrorist organization and thwarted an attack aimed at killing innocent citizens on European soil,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement about the arrests in the Netherlands and Germany.
There was no direct link between the two sets of arrests, the Danish Intelligence Agency told CNN.
The European arrests come just a week after the FBI warned that the United States faced the highest risk of a terrorist attack in years following the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion.
Terrorist risks are high in Europe and the United States amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Jim Hollander/UPI/Shutterstock
“The threat level has risen to another level since October 7,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I have never seen a time where all the threats are elevated, at exactly the same time.”
While the FBI has not yet found any evidence that Hamas “has the intent or ability to conduct operations within the United States,” Wray warned that supporters or sympathizers of the terrorist group could launch attacks on the group’s behalf.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn