Hamburg court jails two men over plot targeting Jewish leaders in Germany
The men received prison terms of eight years and six months and four years and six months. The court said one had been recruited by Iran’s intelligence service.
A Hamburg court sentenced two men on Thursday, October 15, over a plot targeting Jewish figures in Germany, including Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. One received eight years and six months in prison and the other four years and six months. The court said the man given the longer term had been recruited by Iran’s intelligence service.
Who was targeted in the Hamburg case
Reuters identified the man sentenced to eight and a half years as Danish national Ali S. and the other as Afghan national Tawab M. Deutsche Welle described Ali S. as a 54-year-old Dane with Afghan roots and Tawab M. as a 43-year-old Afghan man living in Denmark. Both were found guilty of espionage and attempted murder, DW reported; Reuters described the longer sentence as punishment for preparing an assassination and aggravated arson.
According to Reuters, the court found that Ali S. was tasked in early 2025 with gathering information on Schuster and Volker Beck, and with spying on two Jewish grocers in Berlin. DW identified Beck as president of the German-Israeli Society and reported that the court named Schuster among the intended targets.
What the court and prosecutors said about Iran
The court said Ali S. had been recruited by Iran’s intelligence service to carry out state-sponsored terrorist activities in Germany under Iran’s direction, Reuters reported. DW separately reported prosecutors’ claim that he received orders directly from Iran’s al-Quds Brigades and recruited his accomplice to carry out an attack or find someone who could.
DW reported that Tawab M. was tasked with finding a weapon and that preparations were reportedly made for an arson attack on a kosher deli in Berlin.
Arrests, diplomatic response and appeals
Danish authorities arrested the defendants in Aarhus in 2025, according to DW, which said they were subsequently extradited to Germany. Following the arrests, Germany’s Foreign Office summoned Iran’s ambassador. The Iranian Embassy rejected the allegations as unfounded at that time, DW reported; that response preceded Thursday’s verdict.
The verdicts can be appealed, Reuters reported. Reuters said the Iranian Embassy did not immediately respond to its request for comment on the verdict.
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Sources and context
- German court sentences two for plotting to kill leader of German Jewish community for IranReuters, republished by The Straits Times
- Hamburg court jails 2 men over plot to attack Jewish leaders on behalf of IranDeutsche Welle
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.