Hamas Terror Network Uncovered Across Europe Before Planned 2025 Attack

A Swiss investigation by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung revealed that Hamas has built an operational terrorist network throughout Europe, establishing weapons caches, bomb‑making facilities and sleeper cells aimed at Jewish, Israeli and Western targets. The plot reportedly earmarked 7 October 2025, the second anniversary of the Hamas massacre in Israel, for coordinated attacks.

Greek special forces arrested a 37‑year‑old Egyptian of Palestinian origin, identified as Motasem, after finding chemicals, a precision scale and bomb‑making equipment in his Athens apartment. Authorities say the Greek‑Cypriot cell was planning to strike an Israeli cruise ship that regularly docks in Greece. The suspects and an accomplice travelled via Switzerland, Qatar and Indonesia to Malaysia in 2025 for bomb‑making training.

The network spans Germany, Austria, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Poland, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece. Germany’s federal prosecutor has ordered the arrest of nine men linked to the plot. Arms seized include 13 handguns, an AK‑47, over 900 rounds of ammunition and five Glock pistols moved from Denmark through Berlin to Vienna, where Austrian intelligence uncovered a cache. Investigators trace the network’s origins to at least 2019 and note earlier finds, such as a weapons‑filled suitcase uncovered near Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in December 2023.

German investigators say the operation was directed from Lebanon, where Hamas senior military figure Khalil al‑Kharraz issued orders before his death in a 2023 Israeli strike. Members of the German cell were filmed attending his funeral and had previously surveilled sites including Ramstein Air Base, the Israeli Embassy in Berlin and Tempelhofer Feld.