German police swooped down on targets across the country that were allegedly, on behalf of Iran’s secret service, conducting surveillance on Israeli and Jewish organisations.
Ten people are considered especially dangerous because they are members of the al-Quds Brigade of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Focus Online reported. “Al-Quds forces employ killer teams for Iran’s secret service [and] for the Palestinian terrorist organisation, Hamas,” it said.
Focus reported that the German authorities raided locations on Tuesday in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Berlin. No one was arrested. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency provided the information for the searches.
Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, operates legally in Germany. The group, classified a terrorist entity by the US, Canada, the Arab League, Israel and the Netherlands, has 950 operatives in Germany. The Merkel government has declined to outlaw Hezbollah.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry rebuked Iran’s ambassador at a December ministry meeting for illicit espionage activities against pro-Israel groups.