After three suspected Hamas members were arrested in Germany in mid-December, Israel's government says it has discovered the militant Palestinian organization is plotting terror attacks in Europe. One of the possible targets is said to be the Israeli embassy in Stockholm.
“As a result of ongoing intelligence efforts, a significant amount of information has emerged demonstrating that the terrorist organization Hamas aims to expand its violent operations abroad to attack innocent people around the world,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said today.
Perhaps cooperation between secret services
Israel obtained these intelligences from its own secret services and cooperation with related services of other countries. In particular, it was reported that Hamas cells abroad were planning to attack the Israeli embassy in Stockholm. Suspected terrorists wanted to acquire drones and recruit members of organized crime gangs in Europe.
In addition to those abroad, senior Hamas officials in Lebanon, who enjoy the protection of the Shiite militia Hezbollah, are also involved in the planning. Israel has now killed some of these operatives, including Saleh al-Aruri, the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, in targeted airstrikes in Lebanon. The information cannot be independently verified first.
German authorities arrested three Hamas members in mid-December on suspicion of encouraging the purchase of weapons for possible attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. Similar arrests also took place in Denmark and the Netherlands. In November, Germany imposed a ban on Hamas, which also operates as a political organization. Hamas has yet to carry out any terrorist attacks in Europe.
