Germany punishes Iran: Ambassador summoned for reprimand over Jewish assassination plot

Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador for a reprimand following the conviction of two men for espionage and planning attacks against Jewish leaders on behalf of Iran. The Hamburg court sentenced the main defendant to eight and a half years in prison and his accomplice to four and a half years.

Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador for a reprimand following the conviction of two men for espionage and planning attacks against Jewish leaders and Israel supporters on behalf of Iran. The Hamburg Higher Regional Court sentenced the main defendant, a 54-year-old, to eight and a half years in prison and his accomplice, a 43-year-old, to four and a half years last Thursday. The judges ruled that the two were involved in espionage and preparations for violent acts, including attempts to recruit operatives for an assassination of Volker Beck and preparations to set fire to a kosher food store in Berlin. According to the German prosecution, the main defendant, a Danish citizen of Afghan origin, acted in direct contact with members of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force. The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, warned that this is only 'the tip of the iceberg'. The German Foreign Ministry emphasized that Germany has worked to include the Revolutionary Guards on the EU's terror lists.