Man accused of gathering information on Jews in Berlin for Iran arrested
in Denmark, officials say
[July 01, 2025]
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 Iranian flag flies in front of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic
of Iran in Berlin, June 22, 2025. (Fabian Sommer/dpa via AP) |
|
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.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
|
