A British man has been arrested and faces extradition to Germany, where he is accused of playing a key role in a Hamas-linked terror cell plotting attacks on Jewish targets.
The 39-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested on Monday and appeared later the same day at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
He was remanded in custody, and is being held in prison on remand and is due to appear in court via video link next week.
The Briton is wanted by Federal Police in Germany as part of a major counter-terrorism operation, which last month led to the arrest of three men suspected of preparing acts of violence against Jewish targets in Germany on behalf of Hamas.
ITV News has been told that the British suspect is the son of a senior Hamas official.
The militant group has previously denied links to the three men and called the allegations unfounded.
The trio, who were arrested in Berlin, have been described by German prosecutors as Hamas operatives, responsible for sourcing weapons and ammunition to be used in acts of domestic terror targeted at Jewish or Israeli institutions.
“In the course of today’s arrests, various weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle and several pistols, as well as a considerable amount of ammunition, were found,” the federal prosecutors said in their statement published last month.
The men were identified only as German citizens Abed Al G and Ahmad I, and Lebanese-born Wael F M, in line with privacy laws.
The National Crime Agency received an extradition request from German prosecutors, which led to the British suspect’s arrest in the UK on Monday.
ITV News can reveal that the British suspect first came to the attention of counter-terrorism police in Germany in June as part of an ongoing investigation into a suspected terror plot.
He is suspected by the German authorities of overseeing the transportation of firearms into the country, and allegedly met with a member of the terror cell while under surveillance.
