A trial commenced Tuesday in Germany for four individuals accused of being members of Hamas and suspected of orchestrating weapons stockpiles across Europe, reports The Associated Press . Germany’s top prosecutor has charged the men with membership in a foreign terrorist organization, marking a significant case for prosecutors, according to the German news agency dpa . “For the first time in Germany, people are facing charges of participating as members of the foreign terrorist organization Hamas,” prosecutor Jochen Weingarten stated, as quoted by dpa. The defendants are accused of locating old weapons depots established years ago and setting up new ones for the militant group throughout Europe. These caches were allegedly intended for future attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets, prosecutors said when filing charges last year. According to prosecutors, the weapons were moved around Europe in preparation for Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Authorities also revealed that Hamas considered targeting the Israeli Embassy in Berlin, the area near Tempelhof Airport in the capital, and the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Related articles: Captivity survivor criticizes Red Cross Demand to cancel Al Quds day march in Frankfurt Germany reopens embassy in Damascus Iran summons European envoys over UN nuclear meeting The suspects—Abdelhamid Al A., Mohamed B., Nazih R., and Ibrahim El-R.— were taken into custody in December 2023. Prosecutors say all four held significant positions within Hamas. The men allegedly established a weapons depot 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.
