Latest news with #JamshidSharmahd


DW
01-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany: Danish citizen arrested for alleged Iran spying – DW – 07/01/2025
The man is suspected to have taken photos of buildings, possibly planning an attack on Jewish targets. Germany recently bolstered security around Jewish institutions for fear of such an attack taking place. A Danish citizen has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran, German prosecutors said Tuesday. According to the prosecutors, the man's suspected aim was to collect information on Jewish sites and individuals in Berlin. The man allegedly spied on three properties in June 2025, with him preparing for further intelligence activities, possibly terrorist attacks on Jewish targets, according to prosecutors. The statement did not specify the sites and individuals involved, although a report by German magazine said the suspect took pictures of houses, including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society (DIG), a Germany-wide organization that promotes relations with Israel. The report also said the man had received orders from the Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guards' overseas arm that supports militant groups classified as terrorist organizations in Germany, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the Houthis in Yemen. Prosecutors said the man had "received an order from an Iranian intelligence service to collect information on Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals" in the German capital. In accordance with German privacy law, the man was identified only as Ali S. His arrest took place in the Danish city of Aarhus in cooperation with local police, according to the prosecutors. The Iranian embassy has not yet responded to the allegations. While the ceasefire between Iran and Israel seems to be holding, Western intelligence agencies believe Iran is still trying to carry out attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Western countries. In Germany, where Jewish sites are often guarded by constant police presence due to fears of attacks, security was bolstered further after the war between Israel and Iran broke out. Germany is one of Israel's closest allies, while its relations with Iran are rather tense. In October 2024, all three Iranian consulates in Germany were shut in response to Iran's execution of Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd, leaving the Iranian embassy in Berlin as Tehran's only official representation in the country.


Nahar Net
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Man accused of gathering information in Berlin for Iran arrested in Denmark
by Naharnet Newsdesk 01 July 2025, 14:29 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. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested on Thursday in the Danish city of Aarhus, federal prosecutors said in a statement. The man was tasked by an Iranian intelligence service early this year with gathering information on "Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals" in Berlin, prosecutors said. They didn't elaborate. He spied on three properties in June, "presumably in preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets," prosecutors said. The suspect is accused of working for an intelligence service of a foreign power. The information leading to his arrest came from Germany's domestic intelligence service, prosecutors said. The suspect will be brought before a judge in Germany to determine whether he is kept in custody pending formal charges after extradition from Denmark. It was not immediately clear when that will happen. Germany is a staunch ally of Israel and has a long history of tense relations with Tehran, though it has been one of the three leading European powers trying to engage Iran in diplomacy over its nuclear program. In October, Germany ordered the closure of all three Iranian Consulates in the country in response to the Iranian judiciary's announcement of the execution of Iranian German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd, who lived in the United States and was kidnapped in Dubai in 2020 by Iranian security forces. That left the Islamic Republic with only its embassy in Berlin.


San Francisco Chronicle
01-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
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. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested on Thursday in the Danish city of Aarhus, federal prosecutors said in a statement. The man was tasked by an Iranian intelligence service early this year with gathering information on 'Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals' in Berlin, prosecutors said. They didn't elaborate. He spied on three properties in June, 'presumably in preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets,' prosecutors said. The suspect is accused of working for an intelligence service of a foreign power. The information leading to his arrest came from Germany's domestic intelligence service, prosecutors said. The suspect will be brought before a judge in Germany to determine whether he is kept in custody pending formal charges after extradition from Denmark. It was not immediately clear when that will happen. Germany is a staunch ally of Israel and has a long history of tense relations with Tehran, though it has been one of the three leading European powers trying to engage Iran in diplomacy over its nuclear program. In October, Germany ordered the closure of all three Iranian Consulates in the country in response to the Iranian judiciary's announcement of the execution of Iranian German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd, who lived in the United States and was kidnapped in Dubai in 2020 by Iranian security forces. That left the Islamic Republic with only its embassy in Berlin.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Memorial ceremony in Berlin for German-Iranian as questions remain
Almost six months after the death of German-Iranian dual national Jamshid Sharmahd in Iranian custody, relatives and friends held a memorial ceremony in the German capital on Friday. The service at a funeral parlour in the Neukölln district of Berlin was attended by his daughter and son, who live in the United States. Among the guests were German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, and Berlin's deputy mayor Franziska Giffey. In the evening, an Iranian opposition group is planning a solidarity rally for all political prisoners in Iran at the Brandenburg Gate. Sharmahd, a computer expert and entrepreneur, was born in Tehran in 1955, grew up in the northern German city of Hanover and moved to California in 2003, where he was active in an Iranian opposition group in exile. In the summer of 2020, he was abducted under mysterious circumstances while travelling from Dubai to Iran. Iran's judiciary announced at the end of October that Sharmahd would be executed after being sentenced to death in early 2023. He was convicted during a controversial trial following allegations of terrorism, which relatives and human rights activists rejected as baseless. Iran's judiciary later declared that Sharmahd had not been executed but had in fact died in custody. Many questions remain about his death. Last year, his daughter accused the US and German governments of having done nothing to secure her father's release - accusations she repeated at the memorial service. The human rights organization Amnesty International called for an "independent, impartial and effective" investigation into the causes and circumstances of Jamshid Sharmahd's death, which remain unclear following an autopsy.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Report: Iran returns body of German-Iranian Jamshid Sharmahd
Iran transferred the body of Iranian-German dual national Jamshid Sharmahd back to Germany on Wednesday after he died in custody in Iran, Iranian state broadcaster SNN reported. The measure was taken as part of "legal and diplomatic proceedings" and at the request of Sharmahd's family, SNN reported, citing the Iranian judiciary. It was initially unclear whether Sharmahd's body had already been flown out of the country, or just handed over to the German diplomatic mission in Tehran. Iran's judiciary announced Sharmahd's execution at the end of October. He had been sentenced to death in early 2023 in a controversial trial following allegations of terrorism, which relatives and human rights activists categorically rejected as baseless. Iran's judiciary later declared that Sharmahd had not been executed but had died in custody. Germany's Foreign Office said that the German government was working intensively at a high level for the repatriation of Sharmahd's body, and remains in close contact with the family members. In response to Sharmahd's death, the German government summoned the German ambassador to Iran back to Berlin for consultations and closed all three Iranian consulates in Germany. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock justified the move as a response to the "inhumane actions" of the Iranian regime.