Four Suspected Members of the Foreign Terrorist Organisation ‘HAMAS’ Arrested

Year of issue 2023
Date 14.12.2023

Today, 14 December 2023, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office had law enforcement agents arrest

Abdelhamid Al A., born in Lebanon,
the Egyptian national Mohamed B. and
the Dutch national Nazih R.

in execution of arrest warrants issued by the Investigating Judge at the Federal Court of Justice.

Moreover, Ibrahim El-R. (who was born in Lebanon) was placed under provisional arrest.

Officers of the Federal Criminal Police Office took Abdelhamid Al A., Mohamed B. and Ibrahim El-R. into custody in Berlin. Following a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Investigating Judge at the Federal Court of Justice, Nazih R. was arrested by Dutch police forces in Rotterdam.

The above-mentioned individuals are strongly suspected of membership of a foreign terrorist organisation (section 129a para. 1 no. 1, section 129b para. 1 of the German Criminal Code).

In essence, the allegations are:

HAMAS (‘Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya’) is a militant Islamist organisation. Its declared objective is the annihilation of Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian theocracy under Sharia law on the entire territory of the former British Mandatory Palestine between the Mediterranean Sea and Jordan. The group regards any type of secular government as impious, whereas Sharia law is, according to HAMAS’ belief, the only legitimate basis for any governmental action.

HAMAS’ political leadership is comprised of a domestic branch in the Gaza strip and a foreign branch in alternating countries. The ‘Izz al-Din al-Qassem’ Brigades constitute the organisation’s military branch. Since the group’s establishment in 1987, its operatives have conducted numerous suicide attacks against Israeli targets. They are also accountable for the abduction and targeted killings of Israeli nationals as well as for the firing of missiles and mortars on Israel. On 7 October 2023, HAMAS members mounted a massive terrorist attack, entering Israeli territory and killing or abducting a large number of civilians.

Abdelhamid Al A., Mohamed B., Ibrahim El-R. and Nazih R. have been longstanding members of HAMAS and have participated in HAMAS operations abroad. They are closely linked to the military branch’s leadership. This included Khalil Hamed Al Kharraz, the second in command at the ‘Izz al-Din al-Qassem’ Brigades, who was recently killed. On behalf of HAMAS, Abdelhamid Al A. started searching for an underground weapons cache in Europe no later than spring 2023, which the organisation had created in the past in a conspiratorial manner. He received his orders from HAMAS leaders in Lebanon. The weapons were due to be taken to Berlin and kept in a state of readiness in view of potential terrorist attacks against Jewish institutions in Europe. In October 2023, Abdelhamid Al A., Mohamed B. and Nazih R. travelled repeatedly from Berlin to look for the weapons, with Ibrahim El-R. providing assistance.

Abdelhamid Al A., Mohamed B. and Ibrahim El-R. are due to be brought before the Investigating Judge at the Federal Court of Justice tomorrow. He will decide whether to issue an arrest warrant against Ibrahim El-R. and read out the arrest warrants to the other two suspects.