Latest news with #Aarhus
The Guardian
a day 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.
The Guardian
a day 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.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Iran ambassador rebuked after 'spy' accused of gathering intelligence on Jewish targets in Berlin
A Danish man suspected of gathering information on Jewish sites and individuals in Berlin for Iranian intelligence has been arrested, German prosecutors have said. The man, identified only as Ali S. under Germany's privacy law, allegedly spied on three properties in June in preparation for further intelligence activity. He is suspected of having received orders from Iranian intelligence services in early 2025. The information leading to his arrest came from Germany's domestic intelligence service, prosecutors said. Der Spiegel magazine reported that the suspect took photos of buildings including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society and another where the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, was said to occasionally stay. Iranian ambassador Majid Nili Ahmadabadi was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry after prosecutors announced the arrest. The embassy in Berlin rejected the claims as "unfounded and dangerous accusations" that it said appeared designed to distract from Israeli attacks on Iran. The suspect was arrested on Thursday in the Danish city of Aarhus and will now be extradited to Germany, where he will be brought before an investigating judge at Germany's Federal Court of Justice. Ali S. was remanded in custody until July 23, pending extradition to Germany, Denmark's national security and intelligence service said. German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said 'if this suspicion is confirmed, we are dealing with an outrageous operation". She added: "The protection of Jewish life has the highest priority for the German government.' The German-Israeli Society called on the European Union to list Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. "The extended arms of Iranian terror must have no place in Germany," it said. Mr Schuster called it a "clear alarm signal" and said "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'. German security authorities stepped up protection for Jewish and Israeli facilities after a 12-day war broke out between Israel and Iran in June. The Iranian embassy in Berlin rejected what it called 'unfounded and dangerous allegations' of an apparent plan for an attack on Jewish sites. It said the claims 'appear to be part of a deliberate campaign' to divert attention from 'the recent aggression of the Israeli regime against Iranian territory' and the killing of Iranians. Germany is a close ally of Israel and has a history of tense relations with Tehran, though it is one of the three leading European powers trying to engage Iran in diplomacy over its nuclear programme. In October, Germany ordered the closure of all three Iranian consulates in the country in response to the execution of Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd. Mr Sharmahd, 69, was sentenced to death in Iran on charges of supporting terrorism and 'corruption on Earth' after what Germany said was an unfair trial.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
Man accused of gathering information on Jews in Berlin for Iran arrested in Denmark, officials say
BERLIN — A man suspected of gathering information on Jewish locations and individuals in Berlin for Iranian intelligence, possibly with a view to carrying out attacks, has been arrested in Denmark, German prosecutors said Tuesday. The Danish national, identified only as Ali S., was arrested on Thursday in the Danish city of Aarhus, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Associated Press
Man accused of gathering information on Jews in Berlin for Iran arrested in Denmark, officials say
BERLIN (AP) — A man suspected of gathering information on Jewish locations and individuals in Berlin for Iranian intelligence, possibly with a view to carrying out attacks, has been arrested in Denmark, German prosecutors said Tuesday. The Danish national, identified only as Ali S., was arrested on Thursday in the Danish city of Aarhus, federal prosecutors said in a statement. They said that the man was tasked by an Iranian intelligence service early this year with gathering information on 'Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals' in Berlin and spied on three properties in June.
