Germany’s Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador on Tuesday following the arrest of a man in Denmark accused of gathering intelligence on Jewish targets in Berlin on behalf of Tehran.
The suspect, identified as Ali S., was detained in the Danish city of Aarhus last Thursday.
According to Germany’s federal prosecutor, the man is “strongly suspected of having worked for an intelligence service” and had been acting on orders from an Iranian agency.
Investigators believe that in early 2025, Ali S. was tasked with collecting information on Jewish institutions and individuals in Berlin.
In June, he allegedly carried out surveillance of three properties, including buildings reportedly linked to the German-Israeli Society, as part of what officials described as “preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets.”
Berlin called the Iranian ambassador in response to the developments. “We will not tolerate any threat to Jewish life in Germany,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X. It added that the case “needs to be thoroughly investigated.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, speaking during a visit to Ukraine, said that if the allegations are confirmed, “it would once again underline that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world.”
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The German news outlet Der Spiegel reported that the suspect is believed to have acted on behalf of the Quds Force, the external operations unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The arrest comes amid heightened concerns over the security of Jewish communities in Germany, particularly following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked renewed tensions and fears of retaliatory violence in Europe.
In September 2024, German police fatally shot an Austrian man with radical Islamist ties as he allegedly prepared to attack the Israeli consulate in Munich.
Separately, a German-Iranian national was imprisoned in late 2023 for plotting a 2022 attack on a synagogue in Bochum. Authorities said that plan had been coordinated with Iranian state entities.
Germany continues to monitor suspected Iranian espionage operations closely as part of broader counterterrorism efforts.