Sixth suspect arrested over alleged Hamas plot to attack Jewish targets

A sixth suspected member of Hamas has been arrested in Germany accused of being part of a plot to attack Jewish targets.

Lebanese-born Mahmoud Z was detained on a train in northern Germany on Thursday morning after crossing the border from Denmark. Police alleged that he took possession of an automatic rifle, eight pistols and 600 pieces of ammunition in August.

A statement by the federal prosecutor said he was given the weapons in the central German city of Hesse by another member of the group named Borhan El-K. El-K was arrested on Tuesday night near the Czech border.

It's alleged that following the exchange, Mahmoud Z then brought the guns to Berlin and handed them to another alleged Hamas member called Wael FM. Wael FM was arrested with the items on 1 October, along with two other men named Adeb Al G and Ahmad I.

The men, whose full names have not been released due to German privacy laws, were charged with preparing a serious act of violence endangering the German state and being members of a foreign terrorist organisation. Authorities believe that the group had been gathering supplies since the summer.

"The weapons were intended for use by Hamas in assassination attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany," the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement at the time. The arrests came a day before Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

Hamas - which is considered a terrorist organisation by the EU - previously denied any connection to the men and said the allegations against it were "baseless". Read more from Sky News:Doctor says sorry at his murder trialProtests over Madeleine McCann suspectMeeting to discuss next part of Gaza ceasefire Another alleged member of the plot, Mohammed A, was arrested on 3 November in London on the request of German police.

He's accused of taking five handguns and ammunition from Abed Al G and transporting them to Vienna, where they were stored. Following Thursday's arrest, Mahmoud Z is due to appear before a judge on Friday.

In February, four suspected Hamas members went on trial in Berlin, accused of plotting attacks on Jewish sites in Europe.