Germany summons Iranian ambassador following arrest of alleged spy

Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - Iran’s ambassador to Germany was summoned by the German foreign ministry on Tuesday, July 1, following the arrest in Denmark of a man suspected of spying on Jewish targets in Berlin on behalf of Tehran.

“We will not tolerate any threat to Jewish life in Germany,” the ministry said in a post on X, adding that the allegations require “thorough investigation.”

The suspect, identified only as Ali S., was arrested last Thursday in Aarhus by Danish police, the German federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement. He is “strongly suspected of having worked for an intelligence service,” they added.

According to the prosecutors, Ali S. received instructions from an Iranian intelligence service earlier this year to gather information on Jewish communities and individuals in Berlin. In June, he reportedly conducted reconnaissance on three properties in the city.

The suspected surveillance was described as “presumably in preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets.”

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, speaking during a visit to Odesa, Ukraine, said that if confirmed, the incident “would once again underline that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world.”

German weekly Der Spiegel reported that the suspect had taken photographs of buildings including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society in Berlin. Investigators believe Ali S. was acting on behalf of the Quds Force, the foreign operations branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Germany has remained on high alert for potential attacks against Jewish communities since the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel, which sparked conflict in Gaza.

In September, German police killed an Austrian man linked to radical Islam who was preparing an attack on the Israeli consulate in Munich.

Authorities have also been vigilant about Iranian espionage activities. In late 2023, a German-Iranian national was jailed for a 2022 plot to attack a synagogue in Bochum, western Germany, a plan reportedly supported by Iranian state agencies.