Suspected Hamas members face terrorism trial in Germany over weapons caches

A trial began in Germany on Tuesday for four alleged Hamas members suspected of establishing weapons stockpiles across Europe to be used in potential attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets.

In a landmark case, the nation’s top prosecutor accuses the men of being members of a foreign terrorist organisation.

“For the first time in Germany, people are facing charges of participating as members of the foreign terrorist organisation Hamas,” said prosecutor Jochen Weingarten.

The suspects are accused of having scouted locations across Europe and created arms depots for the militant group, allegedly moving weapons across the continent in the lead-up to Hamas’ 7 October 2023 assault on Israel.

That attack killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, while around 250 hostages were abducted.

In response, Israel launched a large-scale air and ground offensive in Gaza, which has killed over 48,200 Palestinians. according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians, says more than half of the deceased are women and children.

German authorities said that Hamas also explored potential attacks on the Israeli embassy in Berlin, the vicinity of Tempelhof Airport in the capital, and the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The four defendants — Abdelhamid Al A., Mohamed B., Nazih R., and Ibrahim El-R. — were detained in December 2023. Prosecutors identified them only by their first name and last initial in line with German privacy laws.

All held senior roles within Hamas, according to prosecutors.

Investigators allege that the men established a weapons cache in Bulgaria in 2019 and another in Denmark later that year. 

Attempts to create a similar stockpile in Poland were unsuccessful, prosecutors said.