A Suspect of Espionage for Iran on Trial in Germany

The trial of a Pakistani national accused of espionage for Iran took place on Wednesday, March 8, in Germany. German federal prosecutors have issued an indictment against a 31-year-old Pakistani national named 'Syed Mustafa-H'. He is accused of being in contact with an Iranian intelligence organization since 2011. According to a report by AFP citing the defendant's lawyer, he remained silent in court on Wednesday 'out of fear'. The indictment states that he was spying 'against Germany and another NATO member' (France) for the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He is alleged to have spied on Reinhard Rab, the former head of the Germany-Israel Association, and a French-Israeli economics professor. The court stated that this Pakistani national collected information about their workplaces and homes, travel routes, and hundreds of photos and videos concerning these two individuals. A representative of the German security agency following this case mentioned that a 'reliable' source informed them of the suspicious activities of this Pakistani national. The agency suspects that the Quds Force is gathering this information for a potential conflict with the U.S. and Israel to use during 'asymmetric warfare'. The suspect, originally from Karachi, arrived in Germany on a student visa in 2012 and has resided in Bremen. In court, it was stated that this suspect had been in contact since 2011 with a person named Mahmoud, who has ties to the Quds Force. It has been reported that this Pakistani national traveled to Iran in October 2015 and February 2016 and received 2,052 euros for his espionage activities. He was arrested in July 2016 and could face up to three and a half years in prison if convicted. The trial will continue until late March.