Espionage and Murder Plot: Iranian Agent Charged in Germany

Espionage and Murder Plot: Iranian Agent Charged in Germany

A man arrested in Denmark last year has been charged with espionage and attempted participation in murder after being tasked by an Iranian intelligence agency to gather information on the head of Germany's main Jewish group and three others for potential attacks, according to German prosecutors. The suspect, identified as Ali S., was allegedly working as an agent for Iran's Revolutionary Guard and was in contact with the Guard's Quds Force. He was accused of scouting locations in Berlin and seeking accomplices for attacks. An Afghan national, Tawab M., was also arrested and charged with attempted participation in murder. The pair's indictment was filed at the Hamburg state court on May 7.

Prosecutors claimed that Ali S. was gathering information on the head of Germany's Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, former German lawmaker Volker Beck, and two Jewish grocers in Berlin for the purpose of preparing assassination and arson attacks in Germany. They alleged that Ali S. sought accomplices for the attacks and was in contact with Tawab M., who was willing to procure a weapon for a third person to try to kill Beck. After Ali S.'s arrest, Iran's ambassador was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry, and the Iranian Embassy denied the allegations of a planned attack on Jewish facilities.