Fighting terrorism is the highest priority for the EU Member states, they work closely together to thwart terrorist attacks and ensure the security of citizens. In Dec 2023 Seven people, including four suspected Hamas members, were apprehended in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands on suspicion of planning raids on Jewish institutions in Europe, authorities in the three countries stated.

The detentions were made as Israel pressed on with its operation to crush Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a battle that was touched off by a cross-border Oct. 7 assault on Israeli villages by militants of the Palestinian Islamist movement. Three of the suspects were imprisoned in Berlin and another was detained in the Netherlands, all four longstanding members of Hamas with close ties to the leadership of Hamas’ military branch, German prosecutors stated in a statement.

Three people apprehended in Denmark would be charged under the terrorism clause of the criminal code and placed in front of a judge for preliminary questioning, police stated. Dutch national Nazih R was apprehended by police in Rotterdam, while Lebanon-born Abdelhamid Al A and Ibrahim El-R, as well as Egyptian national Mohamed B, were captured in the German capital, German prosecutors stated.

Abdelhamid Al A had been allocated by Hamas leaders in Lebanon to find sources for weapons, prosecutors stated. The weapons were due to be brought to Berlin and kept ready for potential terrorist aggression against Jewish institutions, prosecutors said.

“Following the terrible aggression by Hamas on the Israeli population, attacks on Jews in Jewish organisations have also increased in our nation in recent weeks,”

German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann stated in a statement on the detentions.

“We must therefore do everything we can to ensure that Jews in our country do not have to fear for their security again.”

Danish police expressed raids followed investigations made in close collaboration with partners abroad, which had uncovered a network of people preparing a terrorist attack. Police said they would improve their public presence in the coming days, in special in Copenhagen and around Jewish localities. The Jewish Community in Denmark expressed it had been briefed about the raids but did not have any details about actual threats to Jewish targets.