German authorities have arrested three suspects who prosecutors believe are acting as foreign agents for the Palestinian armed group "Hamas" and are preparing a serious act of violence in the country, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The investigation found that since the summer the three had been acquiring firearms and ammunition intended for attacks on Israeli and Jewish sites in Germany. Among the seized items were an AK-47 assault rifle, several pistols and a large amount of ammunition, the federal prosecutor's office said.
The arrested have been identified as Abed Al. G. - a German citizen, Wael F. M. - born in Lebanon, and Ahmad I. - a German citizen, whose names have been disclosed in accordance with German data protection laws. The arrests took place in Berlin.
According to sources in the magazine "Spiegel", counterterrorism investigators had been following the men and had documented a meeting earlier that day in Berlin to hand over weapons before the task force intervened.
The case recalls a precedent from February, when four members of "Hamas" were tried in Berlin on charges of plotting terrorist attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. The prosecutor's office described the case at the time as the first trial of activists of an armed group in Germany.