German authorities have arrested three men suspected of being members of Hamas, accusing them of plotting attacks on Israeli and Jewish institutions in Germany. The arrests, which took place in Berlin on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, came after months of surveillance and intelligence gathering, and just one day before Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. According to federal prosecutors and multiple news outlets including BBC, CNN, and Reuters, the men are alleged to have been involved in procuring firearms and ammunition for Hamas since at least the summer of 2025.
The suspects were identified under German privacy laws as Abed Al G., a 36-year-old German citizen of Lebanese descent; Wael F. M., a 43-year-old man born in Lebanon; and Ahmad I., a 44-year-old German national originally from Syria. All three face charges of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state. During the arrests, police discovered a cache of weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle, several pistols, and a significant amount of ammunition, as confirmed by Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office and reported by Associated Press and Der Spiegel.
German media report that the men were apprehended during a weapons handover in the capital, with police searches simultaneously conducted in the cities of Leipzig and Oberhausen. According to Der Spiegel, the suspects are believed to have been tasked by Hamas leaders with acquiring firearms and ammunition intended for attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany. Security sources told German media that the group had been commissioned by Hamas for these tasks since at least the summer.
Authorities have noted that Hamas is banned in Germany and classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States, and Israel. The federal prosecutor’s office described the men as “foreign operatives of the terrorist organization Hamas,” and stated they had been active members since at least the summer of 2025. The suspects were detained by officers of the Federal Criminal Police Office and are scheduled to appear before the Federal Court of Justice on Thursday, October 2, 2025, where judges will decide whether to issue formal arrest warrants and place them in pre-trial detention.
The timing of the arrests is particularly significant, coming amid heightened security across Europe following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others abducted. Most of the hostages have since been freed under ceasefire deals, but Israel believes that around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with about 20 thought to be alive. In response to the ongoing war in Gaza, German authorities have repeatedly warned of rising threats against Jewish communities and institutions in the country. Police in many European countries have been on heightened alert since the 2023 attacks, boosting security and patrols against possible attacks on Jewish or Israeli sites amid a spike in antisemitic violence across the continent.
Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “There must be no room for hatred against Jews in Germany.” Her comments, shared on social media, reflect the broader concern among German officials about the safety of Jewish communities and the need for vigilance in the face of increasing threats.
While prosecutors allege that the weapons were intended for use by Hamas in assassination attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany, the group itself has denied any connection to the men. In a statement reported by BBC, Hamas described the allegations as “baseless” and claimed they were aimed at undermining the German people’s sympathy for the Palestinian cause. The group added that it maintains a policy of limiting its activities to what it considers Palestinian territory. However, German investigators maintain that the suspects were acting as foreign operators for Hamas, and were not merely sympathizers or freelancers.
This is not the first time German authorities have investigated suspected Hamas operatives. In February 2025, four men arrested in a joint German-Dutch operation went on trial in Berlin, accused of plotting attacks on Jewish institutions across Europe under Hamas direction. At the time, three men—Abdelhamid Al A., Mohamed B., and Ibrahim El R.—were detained by the Federal Criminal Police Office, while a fourth, Nazih R., was arrested by Dutch police in Rotterdam on a European arrest warrant. These cases marked the first court proceedings against Hamas in Germany, according to German prosecutors.
The broader context of the arrests is the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The war, which intensified after the October 2023 attacks, has resulted in more than 66,000 Palestinian deaths and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll, but says women and children make up about half of the dead. Amid the violence, U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a peace plan that calls for the release of Israeli hostages within 72 hours, the demilitarization of Gaza, a phased Israeli military withdrawal, a temporary international security force, full aid into the territory, and a transitional “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump. Hamas has said it would review the proposal, which Trump has hailed as “a new chapter of security, peace and prosperity for the entire region.”
The arrests in Berlin highlight the transnational dimensions of the conflict and the challenges European countries face in preventing the spillover of violence. German authorities, in particular, have had to balance the need for security with the protection of civil liberties and the rights of minority communities. The discovery of an arsenal of weapons intended for attacks on Jewish and Israeli institutions has reinforced concerns about the reach of militant groups like Hamas beyond the Middle East.
As the suspects prepare to appear before the Federal Court of Justice, questions remain about the extent of Hamas’s operational capacity in Europe and whether these men were acting on direct orders or as part of a broader network. Prosecutors and intelligence agencies are continuing their investigations, and the case is likely to have significant implications for Germany’s counterterrorism policies and its approach to safeguarding Jewish communities.
With tensions in the Middle East showing no signs of abating and security threats in Europe on the rise, the arrests in Berlin serve as a stark reminder of the persistent dangers posed by extremist groups and the vigilance required to prevent future attacks.
