Netanyahu's Office Announces Arrest of a 'Cell' Suspected of Ties to Hamas in Germany with Mossad's Assistance

SadaNews - The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today, Friday, the arrest of a "cell" suspected of links to Hamas in Germany, with assistance from the Mossad.

This announcement comes after the German federal prosecutor's office reported last Wednesday the detention of three individuals in Berlin, suspected of being members of Hamas and planning "attacks against Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany."

Netanyahu's office stated in a message today that "a cell was uncovered in Germany on Wednesday, suspected of being linked to Hamas, which was planning to carry out attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets."

It added, "Members of the cell were arrested thanks to close cooperation between the Mossad for intelligence and special operations, and the security and intelligence agencies in Germany."

The statement noted that "as part of the operation, German security agencies (BFV) arrested three members of the cell, who were found in possession of weapons suspected to be intended for an attack."

It also emphasized that "this arrest adds to additional activities carried out by the Mossad in recent weeks across Europe, in cooperation with local security agencies and law enforcement, including in Austria."

The report mentioned that "the operation to thwart the cell and uncover the (suspects) and weapons involves several countries, and is part of a large-scale operation conducted by the Mossad across Europe, during which weapons caches were discovered, and additional individuals suspected of committing crimes were arrested."

When the German authorities announced the arrest, the prosecutor's office reported that the detainees, described as "foreign agents," were found in possession of "an assault rifle of the Kalashnikov type (AK-47), several pistols, and a large quantity of ammunition," indicating suspicion that they were planning to carry out "deadly attacks."