Many Western experts still agreed that the terrorist offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Gaza Strip was not a threat to Europe. The justification was that Hamas is a regional network not active in Europe. German security experts put active Hamas members at around 600 people in the country. Therefore one cannot speak of a potential danger.
Other scientists warn of an increased risk if the Israeli army’s ongoing attacks in Gaza and the associated destruction of the living space of thousands of Palestinians trigger a wave of refugees to Europe. “There will be many Hamas supporters among these refugees,” explained Ruud Koopmans from the Berlin Science Center, for example. It would be “easy for active fighters” to mingle with the refugees. “The entry of thousands of Hamas sympathizers and activists would be a major threat to Europe’s internal security.” Consequences could be seen from the refugee crisis year of 2015 onwards, for example in Brussels and Paris.
Experts expect that there is a “high probability” that further refugee movements to Egypt will follow. If the conflict spreads to Lebanon, there will also be refugee movements there. Some of these people could move on to the EU. It would then also be possible for Arab countries, Iran, Türkiye and, last but not least, Russia and Belarus to specifically direct refugees to Europe.
However, the first arrests of Hamas terrorists within the EU have now taken place in Berlin and Rotterdam. The arrested wanted to transport weapons to the German capital, attacking Jewish institutions. The German Federal Prosecutor General has now taken over the investigation. According to the investigators, the men went from Berlin several times in October to search for a weapons depot – members of the terrorist group are said to have “conspiratorially created this earth depot in the past.” It would be the first known attack plan by Hamas in Germany.
One of those arrested is said to have been tasked with locating weapons by Hamas leadership in his home country this spring. According to investigators, all four people have been members of Hamas for years and took part in the terrorist group’s “foreign operations.” They are said to have a “close connection” to the leadership of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. Another suspect was born in Lebanon, the other two have Egyptian and Dutch citizenship respectively.
If further investigations confirm the suspicion, it would be the first time that Hamas’ preparations for attacks in Germany have become known. For a long time, German security authorities did not consider the risk of Hamas attacks in Western countries to be particularly high. But now the assessment is different: Hamas is now viewing Europe as a retreat area, it is now said, and attacks by Hamas sympathizers in the West are also considered more likely since the escalation in the Middle East. The terrorist group has so far concentrated on carrying out attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
The German security authorities are said to have been aware of the complex surrounding those now arrested before October 7. The German Office for the Protection of the Constitution recently warned that the war in the Middle East could also radicalize people in Germany and motivate them to carry out attacks. “The danger is real and higher than it has been for a long time,” said President Thomas Haldenwang. Since October 7, at least four people have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of terrorism, but they are not considered Hamas members, but rather sympathizers of the so-called Islamic State.
Also in Denmark, several people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism who are said to have ties to Hamas. The Danish security authorities spoke of three people being arrested. Accordingly, the Israeli secret service Mossad provided information about the suspects. One of them was apparently arrested in the Netherlands. However, it is not said to be the same person as the one who was arrested in Rotterdam on the basis of the German arrest warrant.
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