A synagogue in Berlin and the Jewish Community in Frankfurt am Main are said to be at the center of suspected plots by the Tehran regime
Iranian intelligence services are reported to have prepared attacks against Jewish targets in Germany. A synagogue in Berlin and the Jewish Community in Frankfurt am Main were the focus of suspected plots orchestrated by the Iranian regime, according to the report. Several senior representatives of Western intelligence services and security agencies confirmed the information.
Around two years ago, a leading figure of the Frankfurt community was allegedly placed under surveillance. A suspected agent is said to have photographed the man’s mailbox, doorbell nameplate, and vehicle license plate, and mentioned his name in chats. A few weeks ago, the same community was reportedly targeted once again.
Security officials assess the threat as considerably more serious than has been publicly acknowledged so far. While Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt have repeatedly described the danger posed by Iran as high but rather abstract, the intelligence findings are far more concrete. According to Wirtschaftswoche, a senior intelligence official spoke of “general cluelessness” in handling the threat. There is, he said, “no security concept.”
High Threat Level
The federal government responded cautiously to Wirtschaftswoche‘s inquiry. All threat indications are taken seriously, a spokesperson stated. “Protecting Jewish life and Israeli institutions in Germany is of the highest priority.” On principle, the government does not wish to comment publicly on intelligence findings.
The state criminal police offices also pointed to a persistently high threat level. The Hessian LKA stated that Jewish and Israeli institutions remain heavily threatened by politically motivated crime. The Berlin LKA declined to comment specifically.
According to European intelligence services, Iranian agencies have dramatically expanded their activities in Europe. In Germany alone, around four dozen acts of sabotage are said to have been prepared, the report states. These involved not only property damage but also plans for grievous bodily harm and assassination attempts.
Schuster and Beck
The Iranian services are increasingly relying on so-called disposable agents. Criminals are recruited for individual operations in exchange for payment, without having any direct intelligence contacts of their own. Among the potential accomplices named in the report are biker gangs, contract killers, and members of the Swedish Foxtrot network. Western intelligence services suspect links between the network and the Iranian regime.
The federal prosecutor’s indictment of two suspected Iranian agents has also drawn particular attention recently. They are accused, among other things, of making preparations for possible attacks on the president of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, and the chairman of the German-Israeli Society, Volker Beck.
