A 53-year-old man of Afghan descent has been arrested in the Danish city of Aarhus on charges of espionage.
He is suspected of gathering intelligence on Jewish and pro-Israel sites in Berlin as part of a suspected plot directed by Iran’s intelligence services, according to German federal prosecutors, quoted by Bild newspaper.
The man, identified as Ali S., is believed to have been working for a foreign intelligence agency. Germany’s Federal Prosecutor confirmed on July 1 that a warrant for his arrest has been issued.
German weekly Der Spiegel reported that the elite Quds Force, a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), had tasked him with preparing potential attacks on German soil.
Authorities say that in June 2025, Ali S. conducted surveillance of at least three locations in Berlin. Among them were the offices of the German-Israeli Society (DIG) and a building frequented by Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
“This spy had a specific mission—and it most likely came straight from Tehran,” Schuster stated. “The mullahs’ terror network now stretches deep into Germany and across Europe.”
He urged the German government to respond decisively, saying: “There must be a firm political response against the Iranian regime. No other course of action is acceptable in the face of such a potentially planned terrorist attack.”
DIG President Volker Beck echoed the warning, calling the case alarming: “Iran’s planning and preparation of attacks on Jewish figures and pro-Israel activists lays bare the terrorist nature of this regime. The mullah regime is an enemy of freedom and human rights—a death cult that threatens democracy and the rule of law.”
Beck also thanked German security services for their vigilance. Prosecutors revealed that the case against Ali S. was made possible through intelligence gathered by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s domestic security agency.
The arrest comes amid heightened concerns about Iranian-sponsored activities in Europe, particularly after a recent US military strike targeted nuclear facilities in Iran. That event prompted Germany’s federal government to reassess the domestic threat level.
During a recent meeting of the national security cabinet chaired by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, officials warned that the repercussions of the US strike extended beyond Israeli and Jewish institutions to include all US-affiliated entities in Germany, such as cultural centres and think tanks.
A senior German official told Bild at the time: “The situation has shifted significantly after the US strike. Federal and state governments must now expand protection for both Israeli and American institutions on German territory.”
Following the arrest in Denmark, German authorities are working to extradite the suspect. Once transferred, he will appear before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) will then assume control of the ongoing investigation.
By Tamilla Hasanova
Source: caliber.az