Does Hamas want to carry out attacks in Germany?

In December, the federal prosecutor’s office arrested four suspected Hamas members. They are said to have planned to bring weapons from an earth depot to Berlin for attacks on Jewish institutions. A weapons cache has now been found.

In recent days, German investigators have been searching for weapons depots across Europe. There is said to be a Hamas earth depot in Poland, near the border with Germany. Together with the Polish police, investigators from Germany made several attempts to find it. Unsuccessful.

Before them, four men had already searched in vain for it: the 45- and 41-year-old Palestinians Abdelhamid Al A. and Ibrahim El-R., both born in Lebanon, as well as the 34-year-old Egyptian Mohamed B. and the 56-year-old Dutch citizen Nazih R.

The men have lived in Germany for many years, Nazih R. in the Netherlands. Equipped with shovels and camping equipment, they were noticed by the federal police after a search as they entered Germany from Poland. The officials asked what they had done in Poland. Walking and filling up was the answer. The federal police noticed that the men’s clothes were dirty and that they were refueling shortly after the check.

Attack preparations

The federal prosecutor’s office attributes all four men to a Hamas terrorist squad and had them arrested on December 14th. The four have been in custody ever since. They are said to have contact with the highest levels of Hamas. Nazih R., Al-A.’s brother-in-law, was arrested in Rotterdam at the time. He was according to information from ARD-Capital studio and SWR discreetly transferred to Germany before Easter and also brought before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice. This means that all four men are in custody in Germany. The investigation is ongoing.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office accuses them of having prepared attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. They are said to have received their orders from leading Hamas commanders in Lebanon. Abdelhamid Al A. in particular is said to have traveled repeatedly between Berlin and Beirut – conspiratorially, with detours via several European airports.

At the commander’s grave

Photos and videos from the funeral of the deputy commander of Hamas’ “Qassam Brigades,” Khalil Hamed Al Kharraz, make it clear how close the connection to the command level of Hamas’ military wing apparently was. He was killed in November last year. According to the findings of German investigators, Abdelhamid Al-A. is supposed to be in the photos. to be identified as one of the men marching closely to the side of the coffin. When the body was taken out of the coffin at the end of the procession and placed in the grave covered only with a cloth, Al. A. may have been one of the men who lent a hand themselves.

According to investigators, the 45-year-old is one of those who have been looking for the weapons depots since spring 2023 – well before Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th. On October 5th, just two days before Hamas caused a bloodbath in Israel and took hundreds of hostages, he is said to have traveled from Beirut to Germany. The next day, Al-A. then went to Poland for the first time together with Mohamed B. and Nazih R. to look for the earth deposit there.

In the following weeks they are said to have made several attempts with different compositions to find the depot in Poland. Were they planning to continue the attacks on Jews in Germany? That is the concern of the Federal Prosecutor General. However, in response to all inquiries, the authorities simply say: no comment. The accused are also apparently silent. The Bonn criminal lawyer Mutlu Günal, who defends one of the men, also did not want to comment on the allegations.

Quick access

In any case, in mid-December the German investigators decided to move quickly. They feared that Al A. might leave the country again. According to information from, the investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office found a specific attack plan when they evaluated the data carriers that were confiscated during the searches ARD-Capital studio and SWR not.

However, they were convinced of the existence of the earth deposit and began searching themselves. The suspected depot in Poland has not yet been found. In Bulgaria, however, with the help of the police there, they found what they were looking for: They came across weapons and ammunition, not buried very deeply and protected from moisture by an aluminum case and a plastic bag.

Note from Israel

This causes sleepless nights for the investigators, but it came as no surprise: the first tip about the men and the depot reached the German security authorities from an Israeli secret service. It is said to have mentioned Hamas weapons depots that have existed for a long time. But why in Eastern Europe of all places, where, according to current knowledge, Hamas has no structures whatsoever? In addition, Hamas weapons depots in Europe completely change the image that we had of Hamas activities in this country for years.

When it came to Hamas supporters in Germany, the security authorities’ assessment had remained unchanged for many years: “Western states like Germany are viewed by Hamas as a safe haven,” says the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution report for 2022, “in which the organization “focused on collecting donations, recruiting new followers and spreading their propaganda”. This assessment has changed since the end of last year and there is much to suggest that the change in strategy began long before October 2023 and that the group is also prepared to carry out attacks in Germany and Europe.

What is certain is that the investigation against the four men is heading towards indictment. It would be the first time that Hamas supporters in Germany would be charged with preparing an attack. Even if the four men apparently did not yet have a concrete attack plan, the German security authorities are extremely alarmed. The danger posed by Hamas in Germany must be reassessed.