Cache of Hamas weapons found in Bulgaria: Plot to attack Europe foiled
Three and a half months after the arrest of four suspected members of the radical Islamic organization Hamas in Bulgaria, a cache of weapons was found. The arrested individuals were planning attacks in Europe.
The men were arrested in December 2023 in Germany and the Netherlands on charges of preparing for terrorist attacks.
According to German prosecutors, they were on the hunt for an underground storage of weapons in Europe, secretly set up by Hamas in the past. One of those arrested in Berlin had been directed by Hamas leaders on how to find the weapons. Three of the arrested had made several trips from Berlin to Poland, among other places. Hence, German investigators believed that the cache of weapons could be located in Poland.
As "Der Spiegel" reports, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) discovered the hideout based on photographs found on the mobile phone of one of those arrested. The weapons were hidden in a plastic bag beneath a tree in southern Bulgaria. Bulgarian police uncovered the cache and seized the weapons. It is currently unknown whether this is the only cache or just one of several.
Did human smugglers assist the terrorists?
Tihomir Bezlov, an expert in crime and security at the Center for the Study of Democracy in Sofia, suspects that human smugglers may have transported the weapons. A traditional route through Bulgaria from Turkey is often used.
"The data indicate that among illegal migrants, there are also newcomers from Palestine – they represent the fifth or sixth largest group. It's possible that some human trafficking networks were utilized in this logistics effort to execute terrorist attacks," the expert believes.
He adds that Bulgaria's relatively large Palestinian community was established around 1990. "This diaspora also supports individuals travelling illegally through Bulgaria and then onto Western Europe, especially to Germany," Bezlov explains.
Possible attack on Jewish institutions in Europe?
Investigators believe the weapons were intended to be transported to Berlin and prepared for potential attacks on Jewish institutions in Germany and across Europe. However, plans for the attacks had not been finalized.
As German prosecutors argue, all four arrested have been members of Hamas for years, engaged in the organization's activities abroad, and maintained close ties with the leaders of its military wing. Tihomir Bezlov states that this marks the first occurrence of Hamas's involvement in Bulgaria and a planned target in Germany. He notes that the discovery of the cache in Bulgaria was made possible through the excellent cooperation between Bulgarian and German authorities.
