Prosecutors say the network amassed 13 pistols, an automatic rifle and more than 700 rounds, moved weapons to Vienna and prepared an attack claim video; one suspect allegedly supplied ammunition while serving as a source for German domestic intelligenceGerman federal prosecutors have indicted seven suspects accused of belonging to Hamas and helping build an armed network that allegedly planned attacks on Israeli, Jewish and pro-Israel targets in Germany and Austria.According to the indictment, the network obtained 13 pistols, an automatic rifle and more than 700 rounds of ammunition, with some of the weapons later transferred to Vienna and hidden in a weapons cache.GalleryOne of the Hamas members arrested in Germany on suspicion of plotting attacks against Jews (Photo: REUTERS/Heiko Becker)The charges mark a significant development in an investigation that first emerged in the fall of 2025, as suspects were arrested over several months in Germany and other European countries.German prosecutors allege that Hamas' military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, had begun establishing weapons stockpiles in Europe before a concrete attack plan began taking shape in July 2025.The alleged attack was intended to take place around the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel, in early October 2025. Investigators said potential targets included Israeli representatives, Jews and people identified as supporters of Israel.German media reported that Jewish community institutions and pro-Israel demonstrations were also considered as possible targets.By the time three suspects were arrested in Berlin on October 1, 2025, prosecutors say the network had access to an automatic rifle, 13 pistols and more than 700 rounds of ammunition. One of those involved allegedly transported part of the arsenal to the Austrian capital, where it was stored in a weapons cache.One suspect, who was arrested in Britain, had also allegedly prepared a video in advance claiming responsibility for the planned attack in Hamas' name.German federal prosecutors cited the video as evidence that the suspects had moved beyond general preparations or weapons stockpiling and were allegedly working toward a specific attack.Hamas terrorists - not just in Gaza (Photo: Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)The indictment follows the discovery of a Hamas-linked weapons cache in Vienna by Austrian authorities in November 2025. German investigators already suspected at the time that the weapons stored in Austria were intended for attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe.The investigation now depicts what prosecutors say was a cross-border Hamas infrastructure: weapons and ammunition acquired in Germany and elsewhere, firearms moved into Austria and preparations for an attack that did not necessarily have to take place in the country where the weapons were obtained.One of the most striking elements of the investigation concerns Mohammad S., a Lebanon-born Berlin resident who, according to an investigation by German newspaper Die Zeit, was serving as a source for Germany's domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, or BfV.At the same time, he is suspected of supplying ammunition to members of the alleged Hamas network.According to Die Zeit, after the suspects lost part of their ammunition, Mohammad S. helped them obtain 300 rounds for around 1,050 euros. He was arrested in January 2026.The BfV later confirmed that he had been a source for the agency but said he had never been tasked or instructed by the service in connection with the alleged attack plot.The revelation has raised questions in Germany over how a person working as an intelligence source could also allegedly become involved in supplying ammunition to a suspected terrorist network.Questions have also emerged in the German parliament over information that may have been provided by Israel.In August, the German government said it could neither confirm nor deny whether Israel's Mossad intelligence agency had warned the BfV about the alleged attack plan or whether Mohammad S. had been named in such information.Berlin cited the so-called Third Party Rule, under which intelligence received from a foreign service cannot be disclosed without that service's consent.The investigation has continued to expand since three suspects were arrested in Berlin in October 2025.Additional suspects were later detained in Britain, Denmark, Cyprus and other European countries. Prosecutors say nine suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, seven of whom have now been indicted before a Berlin higher regional court.The seven defendants hold German, Danish, Bulgarian and Lebanese citizenship.They face charges including membership in a foreign terrorist organization, preparing a serious act of violence threatening state security and various firearms offenses. Some are also accused of violating Germany's laws governing weapons of war.European authorities have investigated Hamas activity outside the Middle East in a series of cases in recent years.A study by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point said Hamas had spent years establishing weapons caches in Europe and preparing for the possibility of carrying out attacks outside Israel and the Palestinian territories.The study said developments following the October 7 attack had heightened concerns that Hamas was seeking to expand its operational activity in Europe.In the current case, German prosecutors allege the network had moved beyond maintaining weapons for possible future use.The indictment describes an alleged infrastructure advancing toward a specific attack plan, with firearms and ammunition available, weapons transferred across national borders and a video claiming responsibility prepared in advance.