2 suspected Hezbollah members arrested in Germany

German federal prosecutors yesterday announced the arrest of two alleged members of Hezbollah on suspicion of recruiting and organising activities for the Lebanese movement, which is banned in the country.

The pair, identified as Lebanese national Hassan M. and German-Lebanese dual citizen Abdul-Latif W. were detained in northern Germany and face charges of “membership to a foreign terrorist organisation.”

The suspects also stand accused of being affiliated with an organisation called the Al Mustafa Society, which was banned in the country last year due to alleged links to Hezbollah.

The Iranian-supported movement, which forms part of the Lebanese government, was designated as a terrorist organization by Germany in 2020. Previously, the German government in line with EU policy, distinguished between the group’s political and militant wings, but has since proscribed Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.  At the time, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah described the move as a “political decision that reflects Germany’s submission to America’s will and to pleasing Israel.”

According to prosecutors, Abdul-Latif W is also suspected of belonging to an elite Hezbollah unit since at least 2004 and that he was in Syria between 2015 and 2016 to “strengthen the will to fight” of his comrades.

OPINION: Germany’s ban on Hezbollah bows to Zionist pressure but is of little real importance