Hamas Planned to Blow Up Hundreds of Israelis on Cruise Ship

Greek security authorities have arrested a Palestinian man in Crete on suspicion of planning a major terror attack against Israelis, following a 15-day surveillance operation conducted in cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies, Greek police announced Sunday.

The suspect, who arrived in Greece approximately one year ago and was employed at a hotel in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, was detained Saturday. He faces charges of membership in Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by both the European Union and Greece, and of planning terrorist attacks.

According to Greek media reports, investigators believe the suspect may have been planning to attack an Israeli cruise ship operated by Mano Maritime, scheduled to arrive in Crete this coming Tuesday. However, Greek police cautioned that no direct evidence has yet been found conclusively linking the plot to that specific vessel, and the investigation into possible targets remains ongoing.

The suspect maintained a rented apartment in the Patisia neighborhood of central Athens, which authorities say he converted into an explosives laboratory. Raids on the Athens apartment and his Crete residence yielded laboratory equipment including liquid-filling apparatus and precision scales, chemical materials capable of being used in the construction of a bomb, mobile phones, laptops, and data storage devices.

Greek counter-terrorism services and the EYP national intelligence agency carried out the arrest following 15 days of surveillance, with the operation conducted in coordination with foreign intelligence agencies.

Authorities also disclosed that the suspect recently traveled to Malaysia with one of two Palestinians arrested in Cyprus, where the group received Hamas training in the production of synthetic explosives. Greek police said they hold information linking the suspect to those two Cyprus detainees, describing all three as part of the same terror cell that had been planning attacks.

Greek authorities said they are also examining whether the planned attack targeted other Israeli interests on European soil. The arrests come amid what security officials describe as a broader uptick in intelligence operations against terror cells across Europe in recent weeks.