Hamas Cell in Cyprus and Greece: Five Arrested, Israeli Cruise Ship the Suspected Target
A Hamas terror cell uncovered in Cyprus at the end of May has expanded into a multi-country investigation, with Greek and Cypriot authorities now holding five Palestinian suspects across two countries.
Greek intelligence agency EYP and the country's Counter-Terrorism Unit arrested a 37-year-old Palestinian man in Crete who confessed during a 12-hour interrogation that he intended to carry out an attack on behalf of Hamas. Authorities say he was trained at a Hamas camp in Malaysia, the same camp where two of the four suspects already detained in Cyprus received training. All three were trained together in the construction of explosives. The 37-year-old will be transferred to Athens on Monday to face felony terrorism charges.
The plot was designed to be something large enough to put Hamas back on the map internationally.
The suspected target was Israeli, with investigators now leaning toward a cruise ship as the most likely objective. Authorities say the plot was designed to be something large enough to put Hamas back on the map internationally.
Tools for making explosives were found at the 37-year-old's apartment in the Athens neighborhood of Patissia. He had not yet received the chemical materials needed, but authorities believe he was about to.
In Cyprus, a 32-year-old and a 38-year-old remain in detention as the suspected operational leaders of the cell. Ammonium nitrate and other explosive-making materials were found at two properties linked to the 32-year-old, one in Akti Kyverniti and one in the Kamares area of Larnaca. The 38-year-old reportedly entered Cyprus illegally through the occupied north. Two older suspects, aged 54 and 57, who had been living in Cyprus for years and reportedly hold Cypriot citizenship, had their detention extended by five days in Larnaca District Court. Investigators are now digging through their contacts and past activities.
All five suspects face terrorism and criminal organization charges. Investigations in both Cyprus and Greece are continuing under strict secrecy.
