“A cache of weapons was found in a premises in Vienna” which is “believed to belong to Hamas’ foreign operations”. And it is suspected that the weapons were “introduced in preparation for potential terrorist attacks in Europe” against “Israeli or Jewish institutions”.
The Austrian Ministry of the Interior reports this in a note. “Five pistols and ten magazines were found in a suitcase and immediately seized,” he specifies, underlining that the several-week investigation into a global terrorist organization linked to Hamas also led to the arrest of a 39-year-old British man in London.
The Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN) – reads the ministry’s note on its website – “has been conducting in-depth and internationally coordinated investigations for several weeks into a globally active terrorist organization with links to Hamas. The investigation has led to the suspicion that a group has brought weapons into Austria to accumulate them for potential terrorist attacks in Europe. According to the current state of the investigation, the main targets of these attacks were Israeli or Jewish institutions in Europe”.
“As part of an international investigation, a 39-year-old British citizen has been identified as a suspect. He has close links to the weapons cache and the European group” and was arrested “in London on November 3.”
“This case demonstrates once again that the Directorate of Information Services for State Security has excellent international networks and takes decisive action against all forms of extremism. The mission is clear: zero tolerance for terrorists”, underlined Interior Minister Gerhard Karner while for State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried “the dedicated action and meticulous investigative work of the DSN contributed decisively to the discovery of these weapons, a strong sign of their professionalism and commitment to the safety of our fellow citizens.”