TEL AVIV – Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad provided crucial intelligence that resulted in raids on the homes of Iranian nationals suspected of being spies throughout Germany, Israeli media reported Tuesday.
According to one report, the suspects were members of a high-ranking military force that was targeting Israeli and Jewish individuals and entities.
The weekly German-language magazine FOCUS said that members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force, deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S., were issued arrest warrants.
Israel’s Kan broadcaster said the group had been attempting to recruit European Shiites to join terror cells in the country with the intent of planning and carrying out attacks around Europe.
The report cited Israel’s Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff as saying, “The affair should raise a red flag not only in Germany, but in all of Europe.”
“The time has come for the Germans and the Europeans to understand what is hidden behind the Iranian smile of recent months,” Issacharoff added.
Israel had also “bolstered security” at its embassy in Berlin and “warned” Israelis living there, Issacharoff said.
According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, intelligence by Germany’s own domestic spy agency led to authorities carrying out raids in private homes and offices across Germany on Tuesday. However, no arrests were made, the bureau’s spokesperson said. The suspects are thought to have “spied on institutions and persons in Germany on behalf of an entity associated with Iran,” he added.
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