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Arrest at Berlin airport
German authorities detained a 32-year-old Lebanese citizen identified as Mohammad S. at Brandenburg Airport on Friday evening as he arrived from Beirut. The federal prosecutor's office suspects him of being a Hamas operative and participating in plans to target Jewish and Israeli sites across Europe.
Ammunition procurement and alleged plot
Prosecutors allege that in August 2025 Mohammad S. helped obtain 300 rounds of ammunition. They state he was part of a wider conspiracy to carry out attacks on Jewish and Israeli institutions. A federal judge will decide whether he should remain in custody pending trial.
Hamas background and recent German operations
Hamas, which governed the Gaza Strip before being significantly weakened by Israeli military campaigns, is designated a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, and numerous other nations. The group launched a large-scale assault on Israel in October 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages. According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, more than 70,000 Palestinians have died in subsequent Israeli military operations.
Connections to previous arrests
German officials say Mohammad S. worked with Abed Al G., one of three suspected Hamas members arrested in Berlin last October. Those arrests occurred during a meeting intended for a weapons transfer. Two of the three detained in that operation are German nationals; the third is Lebanese.
Additional raids and arrests
Around the time of the October arrests, police conducted searches in Leipzig and Oberhausen, according to Der Spiegel. In a separate incident in November, German authorities detained another Lebanese national suspected of Hamas ties near the Czech border.
