Iran ambassador rebuked after 'spy' accused of gathering intelligence on Jewish targets in Berlin

Danish citizen accused of scouting for information in preparation for attack

Police stand guard outside a synagogue in Berlin. Getty Images

A Danish man suspected of gathering information on Jewish sites and individuals in Berlin for Iranian intelligence has been arrested, German prosecutors have said.

The man, identified only as Ali S under Germany’s privacy law, allegedly spied on three properties in June in preparation for further intelligence activity.

He is suspected of having received orders from Iranian intelligence services in early 2025. The information leading to his arrest came from Germany's domestic intelligence service, prosecutors said.

Der Spiegel magazine reported that the suspect took photos of buildings including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society and another where the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, was said to occasionally stay.

Iranian ambassador Majid Nili Ahmadabadi was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry after prosecutors announced the arrest.

The embassy in Berlin rejected the claims as "unfounded and dangerous accusations" that it said appeared designed to distract from Israeli attacks on Iran.

The suspect was arrested on Thursday in the Danish city of Aarhus and will be extradited to Germany, where he will be brought before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice.

Ali S was remanded in custody until July 23, pending extradition, Denmark's national security and intelligence service said.

German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said “if this suspicion is confirmed, we are dealing with an outrageous operation". She added: "The protection of Jewish life has the highest priority for the German government.”

The German-Israeli Society called on the European Union to list Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. "The extended arms of Iranian terror must have no place in Germany," it said.

Mr Schuster called it a "clear alarm signal" and said "the German government should not only remain vigilant but also take active political action against the Iranian regime – there can be no other consequence for this allegedly planned terrorist attack”.

German Jewish leader Josef Schuster was the target of the alleged surveillance. Reuters

German security authorities stepped up protection of Jewish and Israeli facilities after a 12-day war broke out between Israel and Iran in June.

The Iranian embassy in Berlin rejected what it called “unfounded and dangerous allegations” of an apparent plan for an attack on Jewish sites.

It said the claims “appear to be part of a deliberate campaign” to divert attention from “the recent aggression of the Israeli regime against Iranian territory” and the killing of Iranians.

Germany is a close ally of Israel and has a history of tense relations with Tehran, though it is one of the three leading European powers trying to engage Iran in diplomacy over its nuclear programme.

In October, Germany ordered the closure of all three Iranian consulates in the country in response to the execution of Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd.

Mr Sharmahd, 69, was sentenced to death in Iran on charges of supporting terrorism and “corruption on Earth” after what Germany said was an unfair trial.