Hamas Plot to Attack Berlin and Vienna Uncovered Ahead of October 7 Anniversary
Berlin, September 12, 2026 – German prosecutors have charged a group accused of plotting attacks in Berlin and Vienna targeting Israeli and Jewish sites. According to the German newspaper Welt, citing an as-yet-unpublished indictment, the attacks were planned to occur simultaneously or nearly simultaneously around October 7, 2025, marking the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Weapons Smuggled Through Denmark
German authorities arrested seven men in 2025 in connection with the planned attacks. One of the individuals had been secretly cooperating with German counterintelligence and provided crucial information about the plot. This intelligence allowed police to apprehend three suspects in Berlin just six days before the intended attack during a weapons handover.
The indictment further states that another defendant recorded a video in Vienna in August 2025, claiming responsibility on behalf of the “Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades,” Hamas’s military wing. The footage showed a masked man holding a weapon in front of the group’s flag, threatening retaliatory attacks in Europe.
Prosecutors assert that this conspiracy represents a significant escalation in Hamas’s activities in Europe. Prior to the October 7, 2023, attack, there were already plans to establish and train operational cells on the continent, utilizing Turkey as a base and directing attacks remotely from abroad.
A Hideout in a Clothing Warehouse
According to case files, the acquisition and transport of several pistols and automatic weapons through Denmark to Berlin were coordinated from Lebanon. A Hamas representative based in Lebanon reportedly oversaw weapons procurement across Europe. A portion of these weapons was subsequently moved from Berlin to Vienna, where the conspirators concealed them in a clothing warehouse.
The case is now being heard by the state security division of Berlin’s Higher Regional Court. The trial is anticipated to be one of the most prominent terrorism proceedings in Germany in recent years.
