“The Hamas Octopus” – a wave of exposures of terror infrastructures built by the…

“The Hamas Octopus” – a wave of exposures of terror infrastructures built by the Hamas leadership in the heart of Europe

Following an extensive investigation led by the Mossad for Intelligence and Special Operations, and thanks to the cooperation with intelligence and law enforcement agencies in Europe, terror infrastructures built by Hamas with the aim of carrying out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets were recently thwarted. Law enforcement authorities in Europe, including in Germany and Austria, conducted a series of complex operations resulting in the arrest of terror operatives and the exposure of weapons caches intended to be used by terror cells to harm innocent people.

In a special operation by the Austrian Security and Intelligence Service (DSN) in Vienna last September, a weapons cache was uncovered and confiscated, containing pistols and explosives. During the investigation of those involved, it was revealed that the items hidden in the discovered cache belonged to Hamas operative Mohammad Naim, son of senior Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim, a figure close to Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip. The involvement of the organization’s leadership in Qatar in promoting terror activities is not being revealed for the first time, although senior movement officials often publicly deny it repeatedly as part of their efforts to protect Hamas’s image before the international public.

As part of the investigation that exposed Mohammad Naim’s responsibility in building the terror infrastructure in Vienna, additional information emerged about a meeting held in Qatar between him and his father, Basem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, last September. The timing of this meeting between the two indicates possible involvement of the Hamas leadership in promoting terror in Europe, with approval for movement operatives to advance terror under their authority and jurisdiction.

The investigation of Hamas’s terror network in Europe is currently examining possible involvement of Hamas elements in Turkey in promoting attack plans, some of which have been exposed. This is in light of Turkey being a convenient operational arena for Hamas terrorists in the past and present. As part of the investigation by European security and law enforcement agencies, a prominent operative in the infrastructure, Burhan al-Khatib, was arrested last November in Germany after staying in Turkey, apparently after completing his operational activities on European soil.

Additionally, the fight by European law enforcement is expanding into the legal-political realm against incitement and extremism by Hamas and its affiliated bodies, including associations and religious institutions used by Hamas for fundraising and recruiting terror operatives, as recently done in Germany.

The Mossad, together with its partners in the intelligence and security community in Israel and worldwide, leads extensive efforts to thwart terror against Israeli, Jewish, and innocent targets around the globe. Since the October 7 massacre, Hamas has been intensifying its efforts to build infrastructures and recruit terror cells in Europe and other arenas, similar to the Iranian regime and its proxies. Even now, the Mossad continues determined operations to thwart dozens of attack plots worldwide as part of its responsibility to prevent terror abroad and its commitment to Israel’s security and defense.