English
BERLIN (AP) — A trial began Tuesday in Germany for four suspected Hamas members accused of organizing weapons caches across Europe.
Prosecutors allege the men sought to establish stockpiles of firearms and ammunition that militants could later use to attack Israeli and Jewish targets on the continent.
The weapons were allegedly transported across Europe in preparation for Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and resulted in around 250 hostages being taken.
The attack prompted Israel’s air and ground offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians but reports that more than half of the casualties are women and children.
Authorities claim Hamas also considered attacking the Israeli embassy in Berlin, the area near Tempelhof Airport in the capital, and the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The suspects—identified as Abdelhamid Al A., Mohamed B., Nazih R., and Ibrahim El-R.—were arrested in December 2023. Their full names were withheld in accordance with German privacy laws.
Prosecutors assert that all four held significant roles within Hamas.
The men allegedly established a weapons cache in Bulgaria in 2019 and another in Denmark later that year. They also attempted to secure a location in Poland but were unsuccessful, prosecutors said.
