ANALYSIS
'Iran exports its terror to Europe': A German court convicts two men of planning attacks against Jewish and pro-Israeli leaders
The Hamburg Higher Regional Court sentenced Ali Hassan S., a Danish citizen, to eight and a half years in prison, and his Afghan accomplice, Tawab M., to four and a half years. Both were found guilty of espionage on behalf of Iran and of attempted murder and aggravated arson.
Members of the Revolutionary Guard in Tehran, Iran
A Hamburg court on Thursday convicted two men of spying for the Iranian regime's intelligence services and planning attacks against Jewish and pro-Israeli figures in Germany. The ruling, handed down by the Hamburg Higher Regional Court, highlights the extent to which Tehran uses Europe as a stage for its intelligence, intimidation and terrorist operations.
A plan directed from Tehran
The Hamburg Higher Regional Court sentenced Ali Hassan S., a Danish citizen, to eight and a half years in prison, and his Afghan accomplice, Tawab M., to four and a half years, according to AFP. Both were found guilty of espionage on behalf of Iran and of attempted murder and arson.
According to the German Federal Prosecutor's Office, Ali Hassan S. received direct orders from officers of the Quds Force, the foreign operations branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in early 2025. Judge Petra Wende-Spors described the acts as "terrorist activities orchestrated by Iran" and stated that the convicted man was planning a contract killing "for purely political reasons."
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The targets: Jewish and pro-Israel leaders
Among the targets under surveillance were Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Society. The defendants also spied on a kosher grocery store in Berlin, a target chosen because of its Jewish identity.
Tawab M. allegedly agreed to recruit a third man and provide him with a weapon to carry out an attack on Beck.
"Iran exports its terror to Germany"
Following the verdict, Volker Beck stated that the trial had demonstrated "how Iran exports its terror to Germany" and renewed his call to expel the Iranian ambassador. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is a state-sponsored terrorist regime that threatens and persecutes political opponents and Jewish or Israeli targets in Germany," he declared.
The German Foreign Ministry had already summoned the Iranian ambassador in July 2025 to protest the arrest of the main defendant in Denmark. The Iranian embassy in Berlin rejected the accusations at the time, calling them "baseless allegations made at the behest of Iran's enemies."
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A threat the West cannot downplay
According to the Washington Institute, a significant portion of the Iranian plots documented in Europe between 2021 and 2024 were carried out through criminal networks, with targets including opponents, journalists and Jewish communities. The Mossad and European intelligence services have publicly attributed this pattern to the Quds Force.
The Hamburg ruling shows that the threat is not abstract. This is not a matter of diplomatic tension or regional differences, but of a regime that orders assassinations and espionage on European soil. Judge Petra Wende-Spors described the events as "terrorist activities orchestrated by Iran," while Volker Beck stated that the trial demonstrated "how Iran exports its terror to Germany."
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