The arrests had been made as Israel pressed on with its operation to destroy Hamas within the Gaza Strip, a war that was touched off by a cross-border Oct 7 assault on Israeli towns by militants of the Palestinian militant movement.
Three of the suspects had been detained in Berlin and one other was detained within the Netherlands, all 4 longstanding members of Hamas with shut hyperlinks to the management of Hamas’ navy department, German prosecutors stated in a press release.
A Hamas official denied these held had been related to the group.
Three folks arrested in Denmark could be charged below the terrorism clause of the felony code and put in entrance of a choose for preliminary questioning, police stated. It was not clear if there was a hyperlink between the arrests in Denmark and people in Germany and the Netherlands.
Dutch nationwide Nazih R was arrested by police in Rotterdam, whereas Lebanon-born Abdelhamid Al A and Ibrahim El-R, in addition to Egyptian nationwide Mohamed B, had been arrested within the German capital, German prosecutors stated.
Hamas leaders in Lebanon had assigned Abdelhamid Al A to seek out sources for weapons, prosecutors stated. The weapons had been resulting from be taken to Berlin and saved prepared for potential terrorist assaults in opposition to Jewish establishments, prosecutors stated.
“Following the horrible assaults by Hamas on the Israeli inhabitants, assaults on Jews in Jewish establishments have additionally elevated in our nation in latest weeks,” German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann stated in a press release on the detentions.
“We should due to this fact do all the pieces we will to make sure that Jews in our nation don’t have to concern for his or her security once more.”
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri instructed Reuters: “We deny there are members of Hamas detained in Denmark, Germany, or another European nation. Publishing these allegations goals to affect the mass rallies which can be supportive of Palestine in Europe.”
Dutch police stated that they had arrested a 57-year-old man in Rotterdam on Thursday on the request of German authorities in a Danish-German investigation.
Israel’s Mossad spy company stated Denmark had uncovered “Hamas infrastructure on European soil”, a press release from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace stated.
The Danish police and intelligence service weren’t instantly out there for touch upon the Israeli assertion. The justice ministry declined to remark.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was quoted by Ritzau information company as saying: “It’s in fact – in relation to Israel and Gaza – utterly unacceptable for somebody to deliver a battle elsewhere on this planet into Danish society.”
Danish police stated Thursday’s raids adopted investigations made in shut cooperation with companions overseas, which had revealed a community of individuals making ready a terrorist assault.
Police stated they’d improve their public presence in coming days, specifically in Copenhagen and round Jewish localities. The Jewish Group in Denmark stated it had been briefed in regards to the raids however didn’t have any information about precise threats to Jewish targets.