A suspected Hamas operative was arrested in Crete in early June while allegedly working at a luxury hotel and preparing an attack targeting an Israeli cruise ship, according to reports. Greek special forces apprehended the 37-year-old Egyptian man of Palestinian origin, identified as Motasem, in the tourist resort of Agios Nikolaos.
Following the arrest, Greek police searched an apartment in Athens, where they discovered chemicals, a precision scale, and other equipment used in bomb construction. Cypriot police had alerted Greek authorities after arresting two Palestinians in Larnaca who were in contact with Motasem. Investigators believe the plot was aimed at an Israeli cruise ship that frequently visits Greek ports and has been the subject of anti-Israel protests.
According to investigations, Motasem and four other Palestinians had previously been stopped by police during a ship's visit a year prior but were not arrested. The case has prompted concerns about an increasingly organized Hamas presence in Europe, with Greece offering strategic advantages due to its cruise ship routes and air links to Beirut, where many Hamas officials are based.
Reports indicate that Motasem and another Palestinian traveled to Malaysia in 2025 via Zurich, Qatar, and Indonesia to learn how to manufacture explosives. This alleged plot emerges amid a series of arrests linked to suspected Hamas members across Europe since October 2023.
German authorities have arrested nine individuals, with suspects detained near Copenhagen and in operations linked to airports in Berlin-Brandenburg and Larnaca, as well as in London, Vienna, and Berlin. Greek media also reported that Motasem had resided in Germany for an extended period.
German Federal Prosecutor General Jens Rommel stated that members of the network were believed to be planning attacks on Jewish or Israeli institutions in Europe. German police recovered a pre-recorded claim of responsibility and concluded that preparations had advanced to the point where a date was allegedly chosen. German prosecutors indicated that the intended date was the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, describing the alleged plan as a 'second October 7th in Europe.'
The network is accused of moving weapons across the continent for months. Approximately five Glock pistols were reportedly transported from Denmark to Vienna via Berlin during the summer of 2025. The wider network allegedly smuggled at least 13 pistols, an AK-47 assault rifle, and over 900 rounds of ammunition through Scandinavia, Germany, and Austria before Austrian authorities discovered a weapons cache in Vienna. German investigators also believe Hamas had been preparing weapons caches in Europe for years prior to the October 7 attacks.
In December 2023, Bulgarian police recovered a suitcase containing weapons and ammunition near Plovdiv, based on evidence traced from the mobile phone of Lebanese national Ibrahim el-Rassatmi. He allegedly received instructions from Hamas in Lebanon as early as April 2019 to establish weapons depots. Further caches were reportedly created in Denmark and Poland, with investigators suspecting additional sites near the German-Polish border.
In February 2023, members of a Hamas cell in Germany were allegedly ordered from Lebanon to transport weapons and prepare attacks against Jewish, Israeli, or American targets. Investigators stated that surveillance was conducted on the U.S. military base at Ramstein, the Israeli embassy in Berlin, and Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin. The report indicates that members of the Berlin cell traveled to Lebanon to meet with Khalil al-Kharraz, a senior commander in Hamas' Qassam Brigades, who was later killed by the Israeli military in 2023. Security services reportedly identified several members of the Berlin cell in footage from al-Kharraz's funeral.
Hamas has denied any connection to the men arrested across Europe, issuing a statement that the accusations are an attempt to tarnish the movement's reputation and asserting that its struggle is limited to Palestine. However, terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project expressed skepticism, citing close personnel links to Hamas leadership. Schindler suggested that Hamas' potential weakening following the war with Israel could increase the risk of attacks abroad, as terrorist organizations may seek publicity to demonstrate continued relevance. He further posited that an attack in a European city or on a Mediterranean cruise ship would generate global attention and exert political pressure on countries supporting Israel.