Germany jails four men over Hamas-linked weapons caches for potential attacks

Published on 25/03/2026 - 18:21 GMT+1

Four men were jailed successful Berlin connected Wednesday for being portion of a web that stored weapons for imaginable attacks successful Europe nether the absorption of the Palestinian militant radical Hamas.

A tribunal convicted the men, aged betwixt 36 and 58, of rank of a overseas violent organisation jailing them for betwixt 4 and six years.

All 4 had helped physique weapons depots arsenic portion of "preparations to transportation retired attacks connected Jewish and Israeli targets successful European countries," presiding justice Doris Husch said.

They were partially identified arsenic Abdelhamid Al A. and Ibrahim El R., some calved successful Lebanon; Egyptian nationalist Mohammed B; and Dutch nationalist Nazih R.

The men were arrested successful December 2023, weeks aft the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas warfare successful Gaza.

Nazih R. was detained successful Rotterdam and the different 3 successful Berlin.

At the commencement of the proceedings successful February 2025, prosecutors accused them of "establishing, maintaining and dismantling underground hideouts" wherever weapons were kept.

Ibrahim El R., who ran a edifice successful Berlin, travelled to Bulgaria successful 2019 to hide a thorax afloat of weapons there, they said.

He besides brought a weapon into Germany from different weapons depot successful Denmark successful 2019.

Ibrahim El R., 43, was convicted of possessing amerciable weapons and of rank of a overseas violent organisation. He received the longest condemnation of six years.

The men besides tried to prime up weapons from a determination successful Poland, prosecutors said, but failed to find them contempt respective attempts.

The arms were to beryllium utilized successful attacks against locations specified arsenic the Israeli embassy successful Berlin and the US subject basal astatine Ramstein successful occidental Germany, prosecutors said.