4 days ago
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'.
