German prosecutors accuse him of helping move weapons for the alleged European plot.
By Shula Rosen
British authorities arrested a former bodyguard of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh over an alleged plot to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe after he had previously been granted asylum and citizenship in Britain, The Sunday Times reported Saturday.
The man, identified only as “Mr. X” because of legal restrictions, was arrested in London last November after Mossad and German intelligence uncovered alleged plans targeting Jewish community centers, Israeli diplomats and pro-Israel demonstrations in Germany or Austria.
X had served on Haniyeh’s security detail beginning in 2006 and is the son of a senior Hamas figure.
Egyptian authorities also arrested him sometime between 2009 and 2012 over alleged links to a tunnel trafficking weapons and gold into Gaza.
He left Gaza in 2012 and applied for refugee status in Britain in 2015.
The British Home Office granted him permission to remain, and he later obtained British citizenship.
German prosecutors accuse X of helping move weapons for the alleged European plot.
An indictment obtained by Bild alleges that he transported five handguns, ammunition, wool hats and gloves from Berlin to Vienna in July 2025. He allegedly received another 100 rounds of ammunition the following month.
Several weeks later, one of his alleged associates obtained a Yugoslav-made Kalashnikov rifle, eight handguns and 600 rounds of ammunition.
Police also discovered a video reportedly filmed in Vienna showing X masked and armed beside a Hamas flag.
The Sunday Times said he allegedly described the planned attack as an “act of revenge” on behalf of Hamas’ military wing. His reference to the second anniversary of October 7 helped German authorities determine the suspected motive and timing.
Authorities in Germany, Austria, Denmark and Britain arrested seven suspects in the investigation. Two were German citizens, three were Lebanese, one was Bulgarian and one was Danish. An AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition were among the weapons seized.
A law enforcement source quoted by The Sunday Times described X as a “vital” figure in the alleged plot. Investigators have not determined whether he intended to participate directly in an attack.
If convicted, X is expected to serve a prison sentence in Britain before facing extradition to Germany.
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