Hamas’s growing jihadi terror network is a growing threat to Europe
One still, gray morning in Berlin two and a half months ago, German security forces raided three different apartments around the capital. They apprehended two Syrian-born German citizens, and a third man who had recently arrived from Lebanon. Their searches uncovered Kalashnikov rifles, handguns, and — according to the indictment — evidence that the trio was in the advanced stage of preparations for attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in the German capital.
The third suspect, identified as Wael P.M., had been under surveillance from the moment he stepped onto German soil. He was classified as a known and dangerous operative, and the decision to arrest the group was made once authorities concluded that the cell was transitioning from planning to execution.
The arrests, enabled by close coordination between the Mossad and German intelligence, revealed a deeply troubling picture: After decades of focusing on propaganda and fundraising in Europe, Hamas appears to be shifting gears. For the first time, the organization seems ready to carry out attacks on European soil.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem confirmed that the arrests were only one part of a continent-wide Mossad surveillance operation targeting Hamas infrastructure. That operation has revealed covert operational cells and weapons stockpiles in multiple European countries, all of which were later dismantled by local security agencies. Austria’s interior minister acknowledged that his own services had been tracking similar activity.
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