Hamburg court jails 2 men over plot to attack Jewish leaders on behalf of Iran

A Hamburg court has sentenced two men accused of plotting to attack Jewish leaders in Germany on behalf of Iran’s intelligence services. On Thursday, the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court handed down an eight-and-a-half-year prison term to the main defendant, a 54-year-old man with Afghan roots currently residing in Denmark. His alleged accomplice, a 43-year-old Afghan national also living in Denmark, received a four-and-a-half-year sentence. According to prosecutors, the 54-year-old had traveled to Iran the previous year and met with senior clerics who issued him direct orders to conduct attacks in Germany. These included plans to target prominent Jewish community figures such as Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Society and former Greens MP. The court also found evidence suggesting the man had prepared an arson attack on a kosher delicatessen in Berlin. The defendants were arrested in Aarhus, Denmark, last year following intelligence tips. They were later extradited to Germany. During the trial, Beck stated that initial information came from the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, adding that without their intervention, he might not be alive today. The court acknowledged contributions from both the German Federal Constitutional Protection Service and Mossad in uncovering the plot. Volker Beck sought to join the proceedings as a civil plaintiff but was denied by the court, which ruled that no actual attack had occurred. He has since filed a constitutional complaint against the decision. Beck expressed frustration, stating that knowing someone had specifically planned his assassination would feel different from merely living under threats. The court concluded that the planned attacks were centrally controlled by Iran and intended to be carried out locally. It followed the prosecution’s arguments and rejected the defense’s claims. The Iranian embassy in Berlin dismissed the allegations as “unfounded” and attributed them to the efforts of Iran’s adversaries. Following the convictions, Beck urged Berlin to expel Iran’s ambassador and consular staff. Germany’s Foreign Office responded by summoning Iran’s ambassador in protest. The case highlights ongoing concerns about threats to Jewish communities in Germany and the role of foreign intelligence in domestic security matters.