Germany says suspect arrested for allegedly spying for Iran

German prosecutors said Tuesday a suspect had been detained in Denmark on suspicion of spying on Jewish organisations and people in Berlin for Iranian intelligence services.

The Danish suspect, identified only as Ali S., had "received an order from an Iranian intelligence service to collect information on Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals" in the city, the German federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, Ali S. was instructed by Iranian operatives to collect intelligence on Jewish locations and specific individuals in the German capital. He is believed to have conducted surveillance on three properties in June.

Prosecutors said the reconnaissance activities may have been in preparation for “further intelligence operations in Germany, potentially including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets.”

German news outlet Der Spiegel reported that the suspect photographed several sites, including the offices of the German-“Israeli” Society in Berlin.

Investigators believe Ali S. was working for the Quds Force, the external operations unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In September, German police shot and killed an Austrian national allegedly planning an attack on the “Israeli” consulate in Munich, citing his ties to extremist Islamist groups.

Germany has also been closely monitoring suspected Iranian espionage activities. In late 2023, a German-Iranian national was sentenced to prison over a foiled plot to attack a synagogue in the western city of Bochum—an operation authorities say was coordinated with Iranian state-linked actors.