German Court Sentences Two Men for Iran-Directed Terror Plot

A German court has sentenced two men to prison terms of up to eight and a half years for plotting assassinations and arson attacks in Germany on behalf of Iran. The Higher Regional Court in Hamburg found Ali S., a Danish citizen, guilty of preparing attacks against prominent members of the Jewish community and other Israel-related targets, as well as arson. He received an eight-and-a-half-year sentence, while his accomplice, Tawab M., an Afghan citizen, was sentenced to four and a half years.

According to the court statement, Ali S. was recruited by Iranian intelligence to carry out terrorist operations in Germany with state guidance and support. Key targets included Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Society and a former Green Party member of the Bundestag. Ali S. was tasked in early 2025 with gathering information on these individuals for planned attacks. He also devised a plan to set fire to a kosher food store in Berlin. German federal prosecutors indicated that surveillance was also conducted on two Jewish food vendors in Berlin, with the gathered intelligence intended for use in preparing assassinations and arson.

The plot against Volker Beck progressed to the stage of seeking weapons and an operative. Ali S. approached Tawab M., who agreed to procure a weapon and involve a third party in carrying out the murder. Both men were subsequently arrested in Denmark, Ali S. in June 2025 and Tawab M. in November 2025, before being extradited to Germany for trial.

The presiding judge stated that Iran is attempting to export its terrorism to Germany, which is unacceptable. The court explained that the choice of targets was intended to have a broader impact, signaling to the entire German Jewish community and supporters of Israel.

Volker Beck, who was a target of the plot, commented that initial information leading to the disruption of the plan came from Israeli intelligence, the Mossad. "Without the Mossad, I would probably no longer be alive," he told journalists. Beck welcomed the verdict and called for the immediate expulsion of the Iranian ambassador from Germany and a significant reduction in embassy staff. He warned of the danger to Jews, particularly in Berlin, and urged enhanced security for Jewish and Zionist institutions. Beck stated that the assassination attempt was meant to silence him as a politician advocating for Israel's defense. He noted that while he had received death threats for years, the realization that his assassination was actively being planned was a different experience. His request to join the trial as a victim was denied because the actions did not go beyond the preparatory stage.

The Iranian Embassy in Berlin had previously denied the accusations as baseless after the indictment was filed. No new reaction from Iran has been reported since the sentencing.