German official: Iranian intelligence is carrying out espionage activities against our army
Germany is facing a renewed security assessment amid rising tensions between Iran and the European Union, amid official warnings of growing intelligence threats to German military installations and the safety of its soldiers, in parallel with increased activity by Iran’s intelligence services inside the country.
Iran has designated the German military, along with other EU militaries, as a “terrorist organization”, in a move seen as a response to the EU’s decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
Although the designation is seen as a political countermeasure, the head of the parliamentary committee on intelligence oversight, Konstantin von Knotts, confirmed in a statement that this move has led to the emergence of a new security situation, warning of potential risks to German military installations and soldiers.
For its part, the German military intelligence service confirmed that Iran’s intelligence services are still among the most prominent entities carrying out espionage activities against the German military.
A spokesperson for the agency said that the threat isn’t limited to field activities, but also includes significant risks caused by cyberespionage, noting that there is a real risk of cyber-attacks targeting personnel and military structure.
He explained that the agency relies on preventive measures, including lectures, awareness sessions and guidance materials, with the aim of raising the level of awareness among soldiers and employees about the methods of foreign intelligence services, and enabling them to monitor any suspicious activity at an early stage.
Units and facilities that are potential targets of foreign intelligence services receive special support in the field of counterintelligence, which leads to raising the level of vigilance and speeding up the reporting of suspicious incidents.
Suspicions about Iranian espionage activities in Germany aren’t only recent in the recent period.
In previous statements, the German Constitutional Protection Service has confirmed that Iran’s intelligence services are intensively active inside the country, specifically targeting Iranian dissidents in exile, journalists, and political activists.
German authorities warn that these activities could be used to prepare serious crimes, including kidnappings or killings.
In this context, the case of German-Iranian dissident Jamshid Sharmahd, who was kidnapped in 2020 and forcibly transferred to Iran, where he was accused of involvement in a bombing that took place in 2008, accusations that his family and human rights organizations deny and consider politically motivated.
He was sentenced to death before the Iranian authorities declared him dead just before his execution.
Besides Iranian dissidents, security assessments suggest that Iranian intelligence activities in Germany are also targeting Jewish and Israeli institutions.
Von Knotts confirmed that the pace of these activities escalated after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
In July, a Danish man of Afghan origin was suspected of reconnoitering Jewish sites and institutions in Berlin on behalf of an Iranian intelligence service.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office estimates that the information gathered may have been used to prepare for possible attacks, noting that the party behind this mission is the Quds Units, the external arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Based on these facts, von Knotts called on the German government to take all necessary measures to curb Iranian intelligence activities inside the country, ensure the security of all residents of Germany, especially soldiers and personnel of military institutions, and protect Jewish institutions from any potential threats.
