Hezbollah activists on April 14, 2023 in the southern suburbs of Beirut, during a live broadcast of a speech by party leader Hassan Nasrallah. (Credit: João Sousa)
Germany announced Wednesday the arrest of two alleged members of Lebanese Hezbollah in the country. The two men are suspected of conducting campaigning and activism on behalf of the pro-Iranian organization.
Identified as Hassan M., a Lebanese citizen, and Abdul-Latif W., who is German-Lebanese, the men were arrested near Cuxhaven in the north of the country, the German Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.
According to the prosecution, Abdul-Latif W. joined the ranks of Hezbollah in 2004 and Hassan M. in 2016.
They are suspected of having acted as representatives of Hezbollah in the region of Bremen, including having campaigned and spoken on behalf of the movement as well as supporting the activities of preachers and organizations in Germany close to Hezbollah.
The two men are to appear before a magistrate, who must rule on a request from the prosecutor's office to be remanded in custody.
Hezbollah, or its military wing, is considered a terrorist organization by many countries, including the United States, those of the European Union, the United Kingdom and a majority of member states of the Arab League.
In Germany, its political branch, which regularly organized anti-Israeli demonstrations, was permitted for a long time before being banned in 2020.
This article has been translated from an AFP French-language article.
