Germany charges seven Hamas members over planned deadly attack

German prosecutors on Friday filed charges against seven members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, accused of preparing a deadly attack. According to investigators, the plot had been in the works since at least July 2025 and was timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel.

The intended targets were Israeli representatives, members of the Jewish community, or people seen as sympathetic to Israel. Prosecutors say senior Hamas figures instructed two German citizens to obtain weapons and ammunition inside Germany. The group later grew to include a Danish national, a Bulgarian, and three Lebanese citizens.

Police carried out arrests last October, seizing an automatic rifle, 13 pistols and roughly 700 rounds of ammunition from three of the suspects. All seven defendants, whose identities have not been disclosed, remain in custody.

Alleged ringleader still in London

A man regarded as the group's leader, identified only as Mohamed A., was detained in London in November but has not yet been extradited to Germany. Investigators believe he transported part of the weapons to Vienna and recorded a video in which he claimed responsibility on Hamas's behalf for the planned attack.

Germany has maintained heightened security alert levels regarding threats to its Jewish community since October 7, 2023, when Hamas fighters killed roughly 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 250 others, taking them into the Gaza Strip. Israel subsequently launched a large-scale military campaign in Gaza.