Germany charges Hamas gun plot suspects

Germany's federal prosecutor has charged seven suspected Hamas members for allegedly procuring weapons for attacks on Israeli and Jewish sites in Germany and Austria. The plot was intended to be executed on the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 massacre. Authorities thwarted the plan before it could be carried out. Police believe the attackers timed their strikes for October 7, targeting Israeli diplomats, Jewish community centers, and pro-Israel commemorations.

One suspect recorded a video in Vienna on August 7, 2025, in front of a Hamas flag, announcing revenge for the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades. Prosecutors claim the men acted under senior Hamas orders and seized a fully automatic rifle and 13 pistols during the investigation. The indictment, reported by Die Welt, states that Hamas considered Europe a safe haven and operational area, controlled via a cell in Turkey.

A raid on October 1, 2025, in Berlin uncovered the weapons and arrested Ahmad I, Wael M, and Mohammad S. Another member, Mohammad S, had been cooperating with Germany's domestic security agency. Four men from 2023 were convicted for storing weapons for potential attacks on European Hamas targets and are serving sentences in Berlin.

The Federal Prosecutor alleges connections between this case and the weapons seized. High-ranking Hamas officials assigned weapons procurement tasks to specific suspects, including Abed Al G., Yousif C., Borhan El-K., Wael FM, and Ahmad I. Another suspect, Mohammed A, was arrested in the UK and faces separate prosecution. German investigators traced two smuggling routes from Denmark and Hesse to Berlin and Vienna.

One courier carried pistols in his luggage to Berlin near the New Synagogue, while another attempted to dispose of some weapons in the River Spree but was intercepted.