Austrian law enforcement has seized a number of weapons that were apparently meant to be used in a terror attack by Hamas sympathisers in Europe.
On November 6, the Directorate for State Protection (DSN), a security agency subordinate to the interior ministry, announced it had discovered and seized five guns and 10 magazines of ammunition in a rented storeroom in Vienna.
The weapons were reportedly meant to be used by a terrorist organisation affiliated with Palestinian terror group Hamas for attacks on Israeli or Jewish facilities in Europe.
The raid was the culmination of a multi-week investigation by DSN and foreign security services against the Islamist organisation. As part of the investigation, on November 3, a 39-year-old British national was arrested in London in connection with the weapons cache.
The investigations reportedly commenced in October after German law enforcement had thwarted a Hamas terror attack in Germany.
On October 1, Berlin police arrested two German citizens, named as Abed Al G and Ahmad I, and a Lebanese national, Wael F M. They also seized an AK 47 assault rifle and several pistols as well as “substantial amounts of ammunition”.
According to an announcement by the German Attorney General, the three men were foreign operatives of Hamas. They had started in the summer to gather weapons and ammunition for attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany, it was reported.
Interior minister Gerhard Karner said: “This case shows once more the DSN is well connected internationally and moves consequently against any form of extremism. The mission is clear: No tolerance against terrorists.”
Secretary for state protection Jörg Leichtfried added: “The dedicated actions and the diligent investigative work of the DSN have decisively contributed to this successful discovery of weapons.
“A strong sign for their professionality and their commitment for the safety of our citizens.”
Others were less positive. Dominik Nepp, leader of the opposition Austrian Freedom Party in Vienna, said the fact that alleged Islamist terrorists were operating in the Austrian capital was a damning indictment of the left-wing city government’s “multicultural dreams”.
“The integration policy of recent years, much praised by the Left, has obviously failed miserably. The reality is parallel societies in which political Islam can spread unhindered,” he said.
