Tehran rejects any role in plot to kill leaders of German Jewish groups | Conflict News
Iran Summons German Ambassador After Court Conviction in Assassination Plot Case
Tehran, Iran – Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the German ambassador, Axel Dittmann, following a court ruling in Hamburg that found two men guilty of plotting to assassinate two leaders of Jewish organizations on behalf of Tehran. The Iranian government accused Germany of making “baseless political allegations.”
This diplomatic move comes in response to Germany’s earlier summons of the Iranian ambassador, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, on Monday. The German government has alleged that the Iranian regime was involved in the assassination plot targeting two prominent pro-Israel figures in Germany.
In a statement broadcast by the official news agency IRNA, Iran’s Foreign Ministry criticized the accusations, suggesting that “security-related allegations against Iran have long been a tactic employed by the Zionist regime and certain Western nations.” The ministry further claimed that attempts to provide a “judicial face” to these accusations undermine the credibility of the German judiciary.
The court convictions involved a Danish national and an Afghan national, both sentenced for their roles in the plot. The court in Hamburg determined that the two men had planned to target Josef Schuster, president of Germany’s main Jewish community organization, and Volker Beck, head of the German-Israeli Society. The Danish national, identified as Ali Hassan S., received an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence, while the Afghan accomplice was sentenced to four-and-a-half years.
The German Foreign Ministry issued a statement on social media platform X, affirming that the Iranian ambassador’s summoning signals that Tehran will not be permitted to “threaten our free society.” The ministry emphasized that “malicious assassination attempts against Josef Schuster and Volker Beck will have legal consequences” and that Germany does not tolerate attacks on Jewish life or those who advocate for it.
The court found that Iran’s intelligence service directed the activities of the two men, who were arrested in Denmark last year before being extradited to Germany. During the sentencing, the judge characterized their actions as “terrorist activities orchestrated by Iran.” The Iranian embassy in Berlin had previously rejected these allegations, calling them “unfounded” and the result of animosity from Iran’s adversaries.
