Two on trial in Germany accused of spying, planning attacks for Iran

HAMBURG, Germany — Two men went on trial in Hamburg on Friday on charges of spying on pro-Israel individuals and Jewish communities in Germany on behalf of Iranian intelligence. The defendants, Danish citizen Ali S. and Afghan national Tevab M., are accused of surveilling targets for attacks and gathering intelligence on Jewish figures, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said Ali S. monitored former Green Party lawmaker Volker Beck as part of a plan to kill him, and also surveilled Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, along with two Jewish market owners in Berlin whose businesses he allegedly prepared to set on fire. The indictment states that Ali S. received instructions in early 2025 from the Quds Force, the external operations unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Beck attended the opening hearing under police protection. Both defendants exercised their right to remain silent after the indictment was read out. The two were detained in Denmark last year before being extradited to Germany and have been held in pretrial custody. The charges were announced in May, prompting Beck to call on the German government to expel Iran's ambassador and consular officials. Germany's Foreign Ministry summoned Iran's ambassador in Berlin in July 2025 following Ali S.'s arrest in Denmark. Iran's embassy in Berlin rejected the allegations last month, calling them "baseless claims made at the request of Iran's enemies."