Hamas is on trial for the first time in Berlin: On the road with a shovel and a Kalashnikov
Four men born in Lebanon are said to have planned attacks on behalf of the terrorist organization. To do this, Hamas set up underground depots with weapons.
They are said to have planned attacks in Germany on behalf of Hamas . Now they are sitting behind bulletproof glass: Under strict security measures, the trial against four suspected members of the Islamist terrorist organization began on Tuesday in Berlin .
The Federal Prosecutor's Office suspects that the men were planning attacks - for example against the Israeli embassy in Berlin. They are accused of membership in a foreign criminal organization. Within Hamas, they held "important positions with direct ties to leaders of the military wing," according to the indictment.
Federal prosecutor Jochen Weingarten, who is representing the prosecution before the 1st Criminal Senate of the Berlin Higher Regional Court, is therefore speaking of a "pilot case": "For the first time in Germany, people are facing the accusation of having participated as members of Hamas." Many years ago, Hamas had already set up underground weapons depots in various European countries in order to have them available for possible terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish institutions.
57 days of trial are scheduled until December in the high-security courtroom of the Moabit Criminal Court. Not only is the audience area separated from the courtroom by bulletproof glass, but so are the boxes in which the defendants sit: Abdelhamid Al A., born in Lebanon in 1978, most recently living in Italy, married, no trained profession. Sitting next to him is Mohamed B., born in Lebanon in 1990, Egyptian nationality, most recently living in Berlin-Lankwitz, married, two children. He says that he is an electrician by profession.
At the other end of the room: Ibrahim El-R., born in 1987 in Lebanon, most recently living in Berlin-Mitte, married according to Islamic rites, but the marriage was not registered in Germany. He ran a restaurant in Berlin. Sitting next to him is Nazih R., born in 1967 in Lebanon, Dutch citizen, most recently living in Rotterdam. He is married, has seven children and says he is a geriatric nurse by profession and is "licensed as an Arab doctor in the sense that I can only treat people with herbs."
All four identify themselves as Palestinians. An Arabic interpreter will be present throughout the trial.
Lawyer: Court hopefully open to alternative theoriesHamas, whose declared goal is the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic theocracy between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, not only has a domestic leadership in Gaza, but also an international leadership based in Qatar. According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, the deputy commander of the Kassam Brigades in Lebanon, Khalil Hamed Al Kharraz, also known as "Abu Khaled," was responsible for attacks abroad. He is celebrated as a hero at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the streets of Berlin. On November 21, 2023, he was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The four men who are now on trial in Berlin are said to have worked for him. They are exercising their right to remain silent or denying the allegations. Attorney Tarig Elobied, Mohamed B.'s defense attorney, states: "I would like to express the hope that, given the tense situation, the Senate is open enough to alternative theories."
But as long as the defense has not yet spoken out, only the accusations of the Federal Prosecutor's Office remain in the air. According to them, the defendants were foreign operators of Hamas. In 2019, the group had already set up underground depots with weapons in Europe - Poland, Denmark and Bulgaria are known to have been there. The depots were to be kept ready for attacks against Israeli, Jewish or other institutions in Europe.
Exact location of the hiding place documented with mobile phoneAccording to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, Ibrahim El-R. was commissioned in May 2019 in Lebanon to set up a weapons depot near the city of Plovdiv in Bulgaria. He buried a box and a plastic bag with a Kalashnikov and ammunition, a Makarov pistol with an extended barrel and cartridges, three Polska Tokarev pistols and ammunition, and a silencer under a tree on the side of the road. He documented the exact location of the hiding place with his cell phone.
In June 2019, he fulfilled Abu Khaled's next assignment: he took a long-distance bus to Denmark to clear out a weapons depot. He bought a shovel and a plastic box at a local hardware store.
He dug up at least one pistol near the town of Ørbæk. He found the exact location because the Kassam Brigades in Lebanon had given him a USB stick that contained the exact location of the depot.
Abu Khaled was dissatisfiedIn the context of the preparations for the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, additional weapons deposited in Europe were to be made available for attacks.
In August 2023, Ibrahim El-R. traveled to Bulgaria again on orders from Hamas to inspect the depot near Plovdiv. Everything was still there. He photographed the weapons to document their condition. Then he buried them again and informed Abu Khaled by phone that the job had been completed. But because he was not satisfied with the quality of the documentation, he traveled to Bulgaria again and photographed the weapons again.
Shortly after October 7, the Federal Criminal Police Office received a tip-off from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution about the group, whereupon it launched undercover investigations. As a result, the Bulgarian police were able to seize the weapons depot in December 2023.
On the road with camping equipment and GPSAccording to the prosecution, Hamas had also set up a weapons depot "of particular importance" in Poland. Its exact location was unknown, however, because the person who had set it up was not available. The four accused traveled to Poland several times to search for the depot. They were equipped with shovels, boots, sticks, a GPS navigation device and camping equipment and, among other things, searched a large forest area near Jelenióv all night long. All searches were in vain.
After Hamas commander Abu Khaled was killed, Abdelhamid Al A. traveled from Berlin to Beirut in fulfillment of his duties as a key Hamas foreign operative. In keeping with his position and the outstanding trust he placed in the man who had been killed, he acted as a pallbearer and personally buried the man.
On December 10, 2023, he traveled back to Berlin to resume the interrupted search in Poland. This did not happen. On December 14, several apartment doors in Berlin were shattered. Police arrested the men.
Berliner-zeitung
