Police in Germany have arrested a suspected Hamas member who allegedly obtained guns and ammunition to attack Jewish targets.
Lebanese-born Borhan El-K was picked up on the motorway after crossing into Germany from the Czech Republic on Tuesday night.
In a statement, the German federal prosecutor’s office alleged in August he had procured an automatic rifle, eight Glock pistols and more than 600 pieces of ammunition in Germany.
It’s claimed the weapons were then handed to Wael FM, another suspected member of the Palestinian armed group Hamas, in Berlin.
Wael FM was arrested with the items on 1 October along with two other men named as Adeb Al G and Ahmad I.
The men, whose full names have not been released due to German privacy laws, were charged with preparing a serious act of violence endangering the German state and being members of a foreign terrorist organisation.
Authorities believe that the group had been gathering supplies since the summer.
“The weapons were intended for use by Hamas in assassination attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany,” the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement at the time.
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A source suggested that the first three men were detained when they met for the weapons handover.
The arrests came a day before Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Hamas – which is considered a terrorist organisation by the EU – previously denied any connection to the men and said the allegations against it were “baseless”.
Another alleged member of the group, Mohammed A, was arrested on 3 November in London at the request of German police.
He’s accused of taking five handguns and ammunition from Abed Al G and transporting them to Vienna where they were stored.
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This morning Danish Police searched premises linked to Borhan El-K and another suspect in and around Copenhagen following Mr El-K’s arrest on Tuesday.
He was due to appear before a judge today.
In February, four suspected Hamas members went on trial in Berlin accused of plotting attacks on Jewish sites in Europe.
