Latest news with #AliS
Irish Independent
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Danish national arrested on suspicion of spying on Jewish targets under orders from Iran
The man is alleged to have surveilled sites tied to Jewish organisations in Germany ©Reuters A Danish national has been arrested in Denmark on suspicion of spying for Iran by collecting information on Jewish sites and individuals in Berlin. He will be extradited to Germany, German and Danish authorities said on Tuesday. German prosecutors said the man, who they named only as Ali S under German privacy law, spied on three properties in June in preparation for further intelligence activities, including possible attacks on Jewish targets. Register for free to read this story Register and create a profile to get access to our free stories. You'll also unlock more free stories each week.
Fox News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Danish national wanted in Germany arrested after allegedly spying on Jewish targets for Iran
A Danish national was arrested in Denmark on allegations of gathering information on Jewish locations and people in Berlin for Iranian intelligence and will be extradited to Germany, German and Danish authorities announced Tuesday. The man, identified only as Ali S. under German privacy law, was arrested Thursday in the Danish city of Aarhus, according to German prosecutors. He was directed by an Iranian intelligence service earlier this year to gather information on "Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals" in Berlin, prosecutors said. The suspect is accused of spying on three locations in June, presumably in preparation for further intelligence activities, including possible terrorist attacks on Jewish targets, prosecutors said. Iranian Ambassador to Germany Majid Nili Ahmadabadi was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry Tuesday. "If this suspicion were confirmed, it would be an outrageous incident that would once again demonstrate that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after visiting a Jewish synagogue in the Ukrainian city of Odesa during a visit to the country. The Iranian Embassy in Berlin denied the allegations as "unfounded and dangerous accusations" that it argued appeared to be an attempt to distract from recent Israeli attacks on Iran. "Previous discussions with relevant German authorities have already highlighted that certain third parties are attempting to divert public perceptions from the actual events through artificial staging," the embassy said in a statement. German security authorities stepped up protection for Jewish and Israeli sites in response to the 12-day war last month between Israel and Iran. During the conflict, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany was prepared for Iran to target Israeli or Jewish targets in the country. The suspect allegedly took photos of buildings, including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society and a building where the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, was believed to sometimes stay, according to Der Spiegel magazine. "The extended arms of Iranian terror must have no place in Germany," a statement from the German-Israeli Society said, calling on the European Union to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization. Schuster added that "the German government should not only remain vigilant but also take active political action against the Iranian regime. There can be no other consequence for this allegedly planned terrorist attack." Ali S. will be moved from Denmark to Germany, where he will be brought before an investigating judge of Germany's Federal Court of Justice, prosecutors said. The suspect was remanded in custody until July 23, pending extradition to Germany, according to Denmark's national security and intelligence service.
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Germany foils 'Iranian spy's plot to attack Israeli and Jewish community leaders'
German officials have thwarted an alleged Iranian espionage plot to target Jewish people in Berlin. Federal prosecutor Jens Rommel said a suspect named 'Ali S.' was arrested in Aarhus, Denmark, last week after allegedly being commissioned by a unit of Tehran's military to prepare the attacks. The man is said to be a Danish national with Afghanistan heritage and had been scouting buildings and potential targets in the German capital - one of which included the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society. Der Spiegel reported that the other building Ali.S had been taking photos of was where the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, often stays. They say investigators believe that the man had been commissioned by the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who specialise in operations outside Iran and are said to have ties to Hamas and Hezbollah. The Quds Force were formerly headed-up by Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020 by a US drone strike, and are now led by Esmail Ghaani - who was presumed dead after Israel 's strikes on Iran in June, but reports suggest he is still alive. Mr Schuster said: 'The arrest of a suspected spy for the Iranian terror regime, who is alleged to have deliberately spied on Jewish and Israeli institutions in Germany, is a clear alarm signal. 'This successful defense must be a final signal to all those who continue to downplay the mullah regime's hatred and fantasies of annihilation against Israel and Jews around the world.' Volker Beck, President of the German-Israeli Society, added: 'I thank the German security authorities for their vigilance. 'The fact that Iran is preparing and planning attacks against Jewish representatives and pro-Israel activists demonstrates the terrorist nature of this regime.' Speaking on a visit to Odesa in Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that, if confirmed, the incident 'would once again underline that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world'. The suspect will be brought before a judge at Germany's Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe after being extradited from Denmark, according to The Guardian. The Iranian embassy has called the allegations 'unfounded and dangerous' and implied that it was a false narrative. A statement from the embassy read: 'Previous discussions with relevant German authorities have already highlighted that certain third parties are attempting to divert public perceptions from the actual events through artificial staging.' The German Foreign Office yesterday posted on X to announce they had 'summoned' the Iranian ambassador to Germany, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, to the Federal Foreign Office. They added: 'We will not tolerate any threats to Jewish life in Germany. The suspicion against a man in Denmark of alleged espionage on behalf of Iran must be thoroughly investigated.' Germany has been on high alert for possible attacks against Jewish people since Hamas's assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. In September, German police shot dead a young Austrian man known to have had ties to radical Islam as he was preparing to carry out an attack on the Israeli consulate in Munich. Authorities have also been on alert for potential Iranian espionage activity on their soil. A German-Iranian national was jailed in late 2023 over a plot to attack a synagogue in the western German city of Bochum in 2022. Authorities said the plot was planned with the help of 'Iranian state agencies'.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Man arrested for ‘spying' for Iran before possible attacks in Germany
A Danish man has been arrested on suspicion of spying in Germany on behalf of Iran, an allegation swiftly denied by the Iranian embassy in Berlin. German prosecutors on Tuesday said the man, identified only as Ali S under German privacy law, was suspected of conducting the surveillance 'in preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets'. It added that the individual was suspected of receiving the espionage orders from 'an Iranian intelligence service'. German and Danish authorities said the man had been arrested in Denmark but would be extradited to Germany. The Iranian embassy in Berlin decried what it called 'unfounded and dangerous accusations'. 'Previous discussions with relevant German authorities have already highlighted that certain third parties are attempting to divert public perceptions from the actual events through artificial staging,' the embassy said in a Germany's foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said Iran's ambassador had been summoned after the arrest. 'If this suspicion were confirmed, it would be an outrageous incident that would once again demonstrate that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world,' Wadephul said during a visit to Odesa, Ukraine, shortly after visiting a synagogue there. According to Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, the suspect took photos of at least three buildings in Berlin in June. They included the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society, which has lobbied the European Union to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a 'terrorist' organisation, and a building where the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, was said to occasionally stay. Der Spiegel reported that investigators believe the suspect was working on behalf of the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the was arrested in the Danish city of Aarhus by local police last week and was awaiting extradition to Germany. During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country was preparing 'in case Iran targets Israeli or Jewish institutions'. He did not provide further details at the time. Berlin has been a key ally of Israel and vocally supported the attacks on Iran, which began with surprise strikes on June 13.
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Germany summons Iranian ambassador over alleged spying on Jews
Germany has summoned the Iranian ambassador after the arrest of a man suspected of spying on Jews in Berlin for Tehran, possibly as part of an attack plot. 'We will not tolerate any threats to Jewish life in Germany,' the foreign ministry posted on X on Tuesday announcing the summoning of the envoy, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi. It said the allegations against the suspect arrested in Denmark, a Danish national identified only as Ali S in line with German privacy rules, must be 'thoroughly investigated'. The man was arrested in the eastern Danish city of Aarhus last Thursday, German federal prosecutors said earlier, 'strongly suspected of having worked for an intelligence service of a foreign power'. 'In early 2025, Ali S received an order from an Iranian intelligence service to collect information on Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals in Berlin,' the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. He allegedly spied on three properties last month 'presumably in preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets'. After his extradition from Denmark, the suspect will be brought before an investigating judge at Germany's federal court of justice, the prosecutor's office said, adding that the case against him was based on findings by the German domestic intelligence service. Foreign minister Johann Wadephul, speaking after visiting a synagogue on a trip to Odesa, was quoted by German media as saying that, if confirmed, the case 'would once again demonstrate that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world'. Justice minister Stefanie Hubig condemned what appeared to be an 'outrageous operation', adding in a statement that 'the protection of Jewish life has the highest priority for the German government'. German news outlet Der Spiegel said Ali S had photographed buildings including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society in Berlin, which fosters cultural and scientific cooperation between the two nations, and a site where the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, is said to occasionally stay. Ali S has Afghan roots and is believed to have been working for the Quds Force, an elite branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Der Spiegel said. Schuster described the arrest as a 'final signal to all those who still play down the hate and annihilation fantasies of the mullah regime against Israel and Jews around the world'. The Iranian embassy in Berlin rejected the allegations as 'unfounded and dangerous accusations' that it said appeared designed to distract from Israel's recent attacks on Iran. Germany has stepped up already tight security at Jewish sites across the country since the Hamas attacks on Israel of 7 October 2023. Last September, police in Munich shot dead a man armed with a rifle after an exchange of fire near the Israeli consulate. Investigators said they believed the suspect had been planning a terrorist attack against the site. During last month's 12-day war between Iran and Israel, Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz, a staunch supporter of Israel, said the country was prepared for possible Iranian attacks against Israeli or Jewish targets on German soil. Germany's relations with Iran have been historically tense although it is one of three European powers engaged in diplomacy with Tehran over its nuclear programme.
