German federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday the arrest of two alleged members of the Hezbollah group which Germany designated as a “terrorist” organization in 2020.
The detainees face charges of belonging to “a foreign terrorist organization”.
They were identified as Lebanese national Hassan M. and German-Lebanese dual citizen Abdul-Latif W. They were arrested in northern Germany on suspicions of recruiting and organizing activities for the group, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The statement also said that “Hezbollah” is an extremist organization of approximately “20,000 trained fighters” and that it sees the targeting of civilians as a permitted act during the fighting.
It further noted that “Hezbollah” is responsible for several murders and attacks.
In 2022, authorities in the German city of Bremen closed down Al-Mustafa community center, accusing it of acting as an “arm of Hezbollah” and collecting donations for supporting the group.
In 2020, Germany designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization banning its activities, prohibiting it from raising its flag, and preventing it from raising and sending funds to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But since the ban, the public prosecution has not taken any actions against any association or members of the group on its soil.
