Germany: Two Men Sentenced for Plotting to Assassinate Jewish Organization Leader on Iranian Orders

A German court on Thursday sentenced two men to prison for their conviction in plotting to assassinate the head of a prominent Jewish organization in Germany, stating that one of them was receiving instructions from Iranian intelligence services.

The judge announced the sentence against Danish citizen Ali S. as eight and a half years in prison for his conviction of planning an assassination attempt and arson.

The court clarified in a statement that it is "convinced that Iranian intelligence services recruited defendant Ali S. and integrated him into their network to carry out state-sponsored terrorist activities within Germany, under Iranian direction."

Additionally, Afghan national Tawab M. was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for his role in the plot. Both verdicts can be appealed.

The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office had brought criminal charges against the two men in May.

The trial took place in the city of Hamburg, northern Germany.

The court stated that Ali S. was tasked at the beginning of 2025 with gathering information about Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Society.

The prosecution added that Ali S. also received instructions to spy on two Jewish grocery store owners in Berlin.