German authorities arrested another man suspected of belonging to a Hamas cell plotting attacks on Israeli or Jewish targets, AFP cited German prosecutors as saying on Wednesday.
Identified as Lebanon-born Borhan El-K., the suspect was apprehended on Tuesday night while entering Germany from the Czech Republic, the federal prosecutor’s office said.
He is charged with procuring “an automatic rifle, eight Glock pistols and more than 600 rounds of ammunition in Germany” in August and transferring them to another suspect, named Wael F., AFP reported.
The latter was detained in Berlin last month, together with two other men, on suspicion of procuring firearms and ammunition.
A fifth suspect was arrested in London last week at the behest of German authorities, the report said, without providing further details.
This latest arrest joins a series of recent plots against Jews or Israelis foiled by German authorities.
On Oct. 3, German Federal Police arrested three men in Berlin suspected of preparing a violent attack against Jewish or Israeli targets in Germany on behalf of Hamas.
“In the course of today’s arrests, various weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle and several pistols, as well as a considerable amount of ammunition, were found,” the prosecutors said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Two of the suspects were reported to be German citizens, while the third was born in Lebanon. Their names were released in partial form, as required by German law: Abd al-J., Wail P.M. and Ahmad A.
Last week, an Afghan national was arrested in Denmark on suspicion of taking part in an Iranian plot to attack Jewish targets in Germany, the Associated Press reported.
The suspect, identified as Tawab M., allegedly promised a Danish national, Ali S., that he would obtain weapons for a trio to carry out an attack in Berlin.
Ali S., who was arrested in May, is suspected of gathering information on Jewish sites and individuals in the German capital for Iranian intelligence, the report said.
Germany maintains tight security around synagogues and Jewish institutions. Unlike France, Britain and several other nations, Germany declined to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September.
