Authorities across Europe have raised their counterterrorism alert after the discovery of a weapons cache linked to Hamas in Austria, following a joint intelligence operation involving the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria.

Initial findings indicate that the group had planned attacks targeting Jewish communities and civilian or institutional sites within the European Union. 

Austria’s Directorate of Security and Intelligence (DSN) reported that the weapons were found in a rented storage unit in Vienna, where officers seized five pistols, ammunition, and several magazines.

According to the official statement, the cache “belonged to the foreign operations of the Hamas terrorist organization.” 

A British citizen, identified as Mohamed A., was arrested in the UK for his suspected role in the plot. German prosecutors confirmed that he met in Berlin with another suspect previously detained and that he transported the weapons to Vienna for later distribution among Hamas-linked cells operating across Europe. 

The suspect will be extradited to Austria to face terrorism charges before the Federal Court of Justice. The Austrian government described the operation as the uncovering of “a globally active terrorist organization with direct ties to Hamas.”

Investigators believe the cell’s main target was the Jewish community, though potential attacks on governmental or European Union interests have not been ruled out.

In response, security agencies across Europe have strengthened intelligence coordination and monitoring to prevent further terrorist activities connected to the organization.