Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency helped track and arrest a Danish national suspected of being recruited by the Quds Force—the elite unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—to plot attacks on Jewish targets in Germany, Germany's Bild newspaper reported Tuesday.
The man reportedly arrived in Berlin with his wife and daughter on a mission to scout Jewish sites on behalf of Iran.
Earlier in the day, Germany’s federal prosecutor general confirmed that the suspect, identified as Ali S., was arrested last Thursday in the Danish city of Aarhus with the assistance of Danish police. He is being investigated for espionage, though the inquiry remains in its early stages. Der Spiegel reported that the suspect is of Afghan origin, while Bild added that he was 53 years old.
According to Bild, Ali S. traveled to Istanbul on June 11 to meet with his Iranian handlers and returned to Denmark on June 23. He was arrested three days later, at which point, authorities said, “his plans had already become very concrete.”
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Investigators have found that he began receiving instructions from Iranian intelligence in early 2025 and conducted surveillance on potential targets in Berlin throughout June.
As part of this mission, he photographed buildings including the offices of a German-Israeli association and a site regularly visited by Josef Schuster, president of Germany’s Central Council of Jews. Authorities said his targets included “institutions and private individuals.”
German authorities believe he was operating on behalf of the Quds Force, which is responsible for overseas terror operations and oversees Tehran's proxy groups, such as Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Following the arrest, Germany's Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin. “We will not tolerate any threat to Jewish life in Germany,” the ministry said. In response, the Iranian embassy denied the allegations, calling them “dangerous and baseless.”
In recent years, German authorities have foiled several Iranian plots against Jewish and Israeli targets. Concerns have intensified following Israel’s recent Operation Rising Lion against Iran. During the 12-day campaign, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany was prepared for possible Iranian attempts to launch attacks on its soil, though he offered no further details.
European investigators have noted a growing trend in which Iran recruits local criminals without prior links to terrorism to carry out its plots. Officials believe the Danish national may have fit that profile.