'Weapons found in investigation into alleged Rotterdam Hamas member'

NETHERLANDS / BULGARIA: In Bulgaria, police have found weapons that were probably intended for a European branch of Hamas, German media write. Four people are now in custody in that investigation, including Nazih R., a 57-year-old Rotterdam resident. He was arrested in December and has now been extradited to Germany, which is leading the investigation into the European Hamas branch.
According to justice in Germany, the underground branch of Hamas had to carry out attacks on Jewish targets in Europe. In addition to the Rotterdammer, the police in Germany have also arrested three men in Berlin. Justice in Germany tracked down the four after a tip from a secret service in Israel.
Officers found photos of weapons on the suspects' phones, which led to the depot in southern Bulgaria, close to the Turkish border.
The weapons in Bulgaria were destined for Berlin. The intention was that they would remain hidden there until an order was received to carry out attacks on Jewish targets, according to German justice.
That order would come from Lebanon. The contact person of the four Hamas members is said to have been Khalil Al-Kharraz. He was a high-ranking commander of the Hamas military branch in Lebanon. He was killed in November last year in a drone attack, allegedly carried out by Israel.
Nazih R., the arrested man from Rotterdam, denied any involvement with Hamas at the beginning of this year and wanted to stop the extradition to Germany. At a hearing on February 6, his lawyer spoke of "a very political accusation".
She called her client "a peace-loving family man in poor health." But the judge did not agree and decided that the man could be extradited to Germany.
(Source: NOS.nl)