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A New Terror Threat Is Emerging in Europe Linked to Iran, Gaza War
(Wall Street Journal) Bojan Pancevski - In a previously unreported investigation last December, police in Austria and Bosnia arrested two separate groups of Afghan and Syrian refugees who carried arms and ammunition, including Kalashnikov assault rifles and pistols. Investigators found pictures of Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe on some of their mobile phones. Investigators said Europe's terror threat is coming from new sources, including Iran and its proxies in the Middle East, including Hizbullah and Hamas. In December, German police launched raids across the country targeting Hamas and its affiliates. German and Dutch investigators also arrested four people for receiving the order from Hamas to open a secret cache of weapons and attack Jewish targets in Berlin and elsewhere in Western Europe. German prosecutors said Hamas had buried the weapons underground in Europe years ago but that the suspects, all longstanding Hamas members involved in the group's overseas operations, wouldn't reveal where. Both Hamas and Hizbullah have so far used Europe as a fundraising hub and a safe house for operatives. But the recent raids on Hamas suggest those groups are now pivoting to plotting assassinations and sabotage in Europe, directed mainly at Jewish and Israeli targets.