Germany Arrests Three in Alleged Hamas Plot

German federal prosecutors arrested three men in Berlin on suspicion of procuring firearms and ammunition since at least this summer to carry out assassinations targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany. Authorities named them under German privacy rules as Abed Al G. and Ahmad I. (German citizens) and Lebanese-born Wael F. M.; investigators say anti-terror teams intercepted a weapons handover and seized an arsenal that included an AK-47, several pistols and a large quantity of ammunition. The suspects face charges of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state, and additional searches were carried out in Leipzig and Oberhausen. Prosecutors are probing whether the men were directed by Hamas leadership or acted as sympathizers, and Hamas has denied any connection. The arrests come amid heightened security across Europe and a reported rise in antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, and follow earlier German investigations and prosecutions of suspected Hamas operatives.