Inspection of Several Locations Belonging to Iranians 'Suspected of Espionage' in Germany

The Federal Prosecutor's Office of Germany officially announced that on the morning of Tuesday, January 16, it inspected 10 workplaces and residences belonging to several Iranians 'suspected of espionage.' According to the Associated Press, citing the German prosecutor's office, these inspections took place in various locations across Germany. However, the prosecutor's office did not disclose their locations. Previously, the German magazine Focus reported that these inspections occurred in Berlin as well as in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the German prosecutor's office, no one has been arrested in connection with this matter yet. The suspicion of engaging in 'espionage activities' at these locations was cited as the reason for the inspections. Meanwhile, German news agency reports indicate that the suspects are 'members of the Quds Force' of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but the German prosecutor's office refrained from confirming these reports. In this context, a spokesperson for the German prosecutor's office told the Associated Press, 'We believe the suspects were spying on individuals and entities in the country [Germany] at the request of an intelligence unit linked to Iran.' The Focus weekly reported that these individuals were spying on 'Israelis residing in Germany,' a point the spokesperson declined to comment on. The issue of espionage against Israelis in Germany arises less than two weeks after the German Foreign Ministry announced on January 9 that it summoned the Iranian ambassador to criticize Tehran's attempts to spy on individuals and groups close to Israel. Berlin stated at that time that such actions were completely unacceptable and contrary to German laws. However, Iran denied the summoning of its ambassador to the German Foreign Ministry. The summoning of the Iranian ambassador occurred after a Pakistani was sentenced to four years and three months in prison by a court in Berlin for espionage on behalf of Iran. Haidar Syed Mustafa was found guilty of gathering information from the former head of the Germany-Israel Association and also from an Israeli-French economics professor in Paris for the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.