German federal prosecutors have charged seven suspected members of Hamas over an alleged plan to carry out a deadly attack against Israeli or Jewish targets in Germany or Austria.
Prosecutors say the alleged operation had moved from preparation to a concrete attack plan by July 2025. They contend that the intended attack was scheduled for early October 2025, to coincide with the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
The defendants include one Danish citizen, two German citizens, three Lebanese citizens and one Bulgarian citizen. Prosecutors allege that they acted on instructions from central Hamas figures and that senior Hamas officials assigned several of the suspects to obtain weapons.
The case rests on allegations of organised preparation, weapons procurement and direction by a foreign terrorist organisation. The charges do not establish criminal liability. Prosecutors will have to prove that the defendants held the alleged roles, acted with the required intent and took part in preparations for the planned violence.
According to the prosecution, the planned targets included Israeli representatives, Jews and people regarded as friendly to Israel. The authorities have not identified the specific locations in Germany or Austria that were allegedly selected.
By 1 October 2025, when three suspects were arrested in Berlin, the group had obtained one functioning fully automatic rifle, 13 functioning handguns and more than 700 rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said. Another suspect allegedly moved part of that arsenal to Vienna, where it was stored.
One suspect also recorded a video in advance that claimed responsibility and announced the planned attack in Hamas's name, according to prosecutors. The allegation, if proved, would provide evidence of how the group intended to present the attack and of the claimed connection to Hamas.
All seven men face weapons charges. They are also accused of helping to procure weapons, belonging to a foreign terrorist organisation and participating in preparations for acts of violence endangering the state. Three defendants face further accusations under Germany's War Weapons Control Act.
The suspects were arrested between October 2025 and May 2026. Mohammed A. was arrested in London on 3 November 2025 at the request of German authorities.
The charges describe an alleged cross-border operation involving suspects of several nationalities, weapons held in Germany and Austria, and instructions said to have come from senior Hamas officials. Prosecutors have not identified those officials. The available information also does not state how the weapons were obtained, whether others may have assisted the group, or whether intelligence services had prior warning of the alleged plot.
Nor is it known from the charging information whether an attack was attempted before the arrests. The eventual outcome of the proceedings, including whether the prosecution can substantiate its account of Hamas direction and the alleged attack plan, remains to be decided by the court.
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