By Yiannis Souliotis
New revealing details have emerged in the case of Palestinians arrested in Cyprus and Greece, who are accused of involvement with Hamas and of planning bomb attacks against Israeli targets. The information, obtained from official documents and brought to light by “K”, sheds further light on the movements and alleged activities of the suspects.
Between May 21 and Saturday, June 6, three suspects were arrested in Cyprus and Greece on accusations that they were preparing bomb attacks against Israeli targets in the name of the Palestinian organization.
According to the new evidence, the 37-year-old Palestinian known as "Yousef," who was arrested in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, travelled to three cities in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Qatar, and Turkey between early 2024 and March 2026, just months before his arrest.
The asylum requests
The documents reveal that in January 2024, Yousef visited one of his brothers, who lives in Germany under refugee status. While there, he applied for asylum, but the request was rejected, and he returned to Greece.
He later submitted a new asylum application to the Greek authorities, claiming that he had lost his documents. This second request was accepted.
This aspect of the case remains under investigation, as authorities suspect that these actions may have been aimed at obscuring his whereabouts. Classified documents reportedly state that Yousef failed to attend a scheduled appointment with the German asylum service and was not found at the accommodation center in the city of Münsingen, where he was expected to be staying.
Links to other Palestinians
Information obtained by “K” also reveals that Greek counter-terrorism and investigative authorities are examining the role of two additional Palestinian nationals.
During questioning by counter-terrorism officers and the investigating judge, the 37-year-old was asked about his relationship with them. He admitted that one of the two was a Hamas member. He said they had known each other since 2010 and had prayed at the same mosque in the Al-Nasr neighborhood of Gaza.
Regarding the second person, he claimed that the man had sublet his apartment in the Patissia district of Athens while he was working as a chef at a hotel in Agios Nikolaos, Crete.
The classified documents also contain significant information about a 41-year-old Palestinian man named "Abdul." He is not among those arrested but is described as the person who received the suspect in Indonesia and allegedly attempted to persuade him to undergo explosives training.
The alleged Hamas operative in Southeast Asia
According to law enforcement sources, Abdul is described as a Hamas “station chief” in Southeast Asia.
During his testimony to counter-terrorism officers and the investigating judge, the suspect from Crete claimed that Abdul lured him to Indonesia and later Malaysia by convincing him to receive training in explosives.
According to his account, Abdul persuaded him to travel to Indonesia via Zurich and Qatar by telling him he would work as an electrician at a school.
The 37-year-old claims that once he realized the true purpose of the trip, he backed away. However, he alleges that Abdul threatened to harm his family if he refused to cooperate.
The two men had reportedly known each other in Gaza since 2010.
In November 2025, after completing his work at the hotel in Agios Nikolaos, the suspect returned to Athens. He stated that he worked as an electrician for a company installing electrical sockets before resigning and travelling to Belgium in March 2026, where his sister is believed to live.
Explosives allegedly stronger than TNT
The investigation by “K” also reveals further details about the explosive material that the suspects in Cyprus and Greece allegedly intended to manufacture.
The substance is known by the acronym RDX (Research Department Explosives), which is described in publicly available sources as an extremely powerful explosive, around 1.5 times stronger than TNT.
According to the documents, Abdul allegedly instructed the suspect in Crete to rent a house with a garden so that purchasing fertilizer, reportedly intended for the production of explosives, would not raise suspicion.
During his appearance before the investigating judge on Thursday, Yousef claimed that he had sent Abdul photographs of several potential houses but never rented any of them because he had decided not to continue with the alleged plan.
