German federal prosecutors announced Thursday they have filed charges against two individuals accused of conducting espionage operations for Iranian intelligence services, with plans to target prominent Jewish figures in Germany.
The primary defendant, identified as Ali S. under German privacy protocols, holds Danish citizenship and was taken into custody in Denmark last June. A second suspect, Afghan national Tawab M., was also apprehended in Denmark during November. Court documents show prosecutors submitted their case against both men to Hamburg state court on May 7.
According to the charges, Ali S. faces multiple counts including intelligence service collaboration, covert sabotage activities, and attempted involvement in murder and arson schemes. Tawab M. has been charged with attempted participation in murder.
Investigators claim Ali S. operated under the direction of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard intelligence division and maintained regular communication with the Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force.
The prosecution alleges that early in 2025, Ali S. received orders to collect detailed information about Josef Schuster, who leads Germany’s Central Council of Jews, and Volker Beck, a notable former German lawmaker who heads the German-Israeli Society. Additionally, he was tasked with surveilling two unidentified Jewish grocery store owners in Berlin.
“All this served for the preparation of assassination and arson attacks in Germany,” prosecutors stated in their official announcement.
Court filings indicate Ali S. conducted reconnaissance missions at multiple Berlin locations throughout last year while actively recruiting potential accomplices for the planned operations. By May 2025, he had established contact with Tawab M., who prosecutors say expressed willingness to obtain weapons for an unnamed third party and coordinate an assassination attempt against Beck.
Following Ali S.’s arrest last year, German Foreign Ministry officials summoned Iran’s ambassador for questioning. The Iranian Embassy responded by dismissing what they characterized as “unfounded and dangerous allegations” regarding any suspected plot against Jewish institutions.
