Germany charges seven suspected Hamas operatives over planned attack on Jewish targets

Indictment in Berlin

German federal prosecutors filed charges on 11 September 2026 against seven suspected Hamas operatives accused of planning attacks in Germany and Austria. The suspects include German citizens Abed Al G. and Ahmad I., Danish national Yousif C., Bulgarian citizen Mohammad S., and Lebanese-born suspects Borhan El-K., Wael F.M., and Kamel M. Prosecutors submitted the indictment to the State Security Senate of the Berlin Higher Regional Court, which must now decide whether to open a main criminal trial. The men face charges of membership in a foreign terrorist organisation, preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state, and breaching weapons laws including the War Weapons Control Act. An eighth suspect remains in extradition custody in the United Kingdom and is being prosecuted under a separate proceeding. All seven indicted individuals remain in pre-trial detention in Germany.

Arsenal and target profile

Investigators stated that the cell operated on direct instructions from senior figures in the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, which sought to establish clandestine arms depots on European soil. The accused operatives secured an arsenal comprising one functional fully automatic rifle, 13 handguns, and more than 700 rounds of ammunition. Prosecutors concluded that the group planned to execute attacks around early October 2025 to mark the second anniversary of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Planned targets included Israeli representatives, members of the Jewish community, and prominent pro-Israel figures in Germany and Austria. A key member of the network transported a portion of the firearms to Vienna, where the cache was stored in secret.

Pistols13

Fully automatic rifles1

Pistols

13

Fully automatic rifles

1

Data from the article text

Investigation and coordinated raids

German security agencies tracked the network with assistance from the domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Law enforcement executed the first wave of arrests on 1 October 2025, taking three suspects into custody in Berlin. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced following the raids that authorities had disrupted an imminent terrorist operation.

“We assume that this threat situation was concrete.”

In November 2025, Austrian police located and dismantled the weapons cache in Vienna while British officers arrested another suspect in London under a warrant issued by the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe. In subsequent months, authorities carried out further arrests across Denmark, Cyprus, and Berlin. One case was later transferred to Berlin state prosecutors after investigators found insufficient evidence of direct Hamas affiliation, while Hamas publicly denied any link to the suspects.

Video evidence and court proceedings

Details regarding the operational readiness of the cell emerged in June 2026 during an annual media briefing in Karlsruhe. Federal Prosecutor General Jens Rommel revealed that investigators had recovered recorded statements from the suspect detained in London.

“A pre-made confession video was secured from one of the accused.”

The pre-recorded video announced an attack timed for early October 2025 and claimed responsibility in the name of Hamas. German domestic intelligence assessments indicated that Hamas leaders had instructed operatives as early as July 2025 to procure weapons for targeted killings in Germany and Austria. The Berlin Higher Regional Court will examine the prosecution case files to set formal dates for court proceedings.