Germany: Hamas-Linked Men Jailed for Arms & Plots

Four men were sentenced to prison in Berlin on Wednesday for their involvement in a network that stockpiled weapons for potential attacks in Europe, directed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Hamas-Linked Weapons Network Sentenced in Berlin

The men, aged between 36 and 58, were convicted of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and received jail sentences ranging from four to six years.

According to presiding judge Doris Husch, all four individuals contributed to building weapons depots as part of preparations to target Jewish and Israeli locations in European countries.

The convicted men were identified as Abdelhamid Al A. and Ibrahim El R., both born in Lebanon; Egyptian national Mohammed B; and Dutch national Nazih R.

The arrests occurred in December 2023, shortly after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Nazih R. was apprehended in Rotterdam, while the other three were arrested in Berlin.

Prosecutors stated at the start of the trial in February 2025 that the men were involved in “establishing, maintaining and dismantling underground hideouts” used to store weapons.

Ibrahim El R., who operates a restaurant in Berlin, traveled to Bulgaria in 2019 to conceal a cache of weapons. He also transported a firearm into Germany from a weapons depot located in Denmark in the same year.

Ibrahim El R., 43, received the longest sentence of six years for possessing illegal weapons and belonging to a foreign terrorist organization.

The group also attempted to retrieve weapons from a location in Poland, but were unsuccessful despite multiple attempts.

Prosecutors indicated that the weapons were intended for attacks on sites including the Israeli embassy in Berlin and the US military base at Ramstein in western Germany.