Iran’s terror plots against Jews in Europe foiled – media | News.az

Security services foiled a series of Iranian-backed terror plots targeting Jews and Israeli-linked businesses in Europe earlier this year, according to an investigation by the German newspaper Der Spiegel.

The thwarted attacks, planned for 2024, involved a criminal network recruited by Tehran to conduct surveillance on Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany, News.Az reports citing I ran International.

At the same time, a series of arson attacks targeted Israeli-owned businesses in southern France, starting at the end of 2023 and continuing into 2024.

According to the report, one of the key suspects who is referred to as Abdolkarim S., is a 34-year-old French national with a history of violent crime. Abdolkarim, known for his involvement in the drug trade in Marseille, was allegedly recruited by Tehran to scout Jewish and Israeli-related targets in Europe.

In February 2024, Abdolkarim and his wife traveled to Berlin, where, according to German investigators, he used his wife’s phone to locate the office of a Jewish lawyer who represents Israeli clients. Investigators found the address of the lawyer’s office on a navigation app used during the trip. This marked the first appearance of the Iranian-sponsored cell in Germany.

Two months later, in April 2024, Abdolkarim made two separate trips to Munich, this time without his wife. According to Der Spiegel, German security services closely monitored him as he scouted a Jewish family’s business in the eastern part of Munich. He filmed the building, its surroundings, and doorbell signs. Investigators suspect the family, which has close ties to Israel, was the intended target of a planned attack. In one audio message sent to an unknown recipient, Abdolkarim reportedly said, “I have seen the company, there were people inside, but the person wasn’t there,” suggesting he had been scouting for a specific individual.

These surveillance activities did not go unnoticed. German intelligence services tracked Abdolkarim’s movements, leading to his arrest in late April 2024. Abdolkarim was subsequently detained in France, and French authorities have charged him with terrorism-related offenses. His surveillance efforts in Germany are believed to have been part of a broader plan by Tehran to orchestrate attacks against Jewish and Israeli figures in Europe.

While the attacks in Germany were thwarted, Israeli-owned businesses in southern France were targeted in a series of arson attacks. Between December 2023 and January 2024, four businesses were set on fire, including a warehouse near Montpellier. The businesses ranged from a water treatment company to a software engineering firm, which on the surface appeared to have little in common. However, investigators, according to Der Spiegel, discovered that all the companies were owned by Israelis, linking the attacks to the same criminal network associated with Abdolkarim.

French intelligence agency DGSI believes the arson attacks were part of a larger Iranian plot to strike Israeli-linked interests in Europe. Investigators reportedly found the addresses of the targeted businesses on Abdolkarim’s phone, suggesting his role in passing the information to those who carried out the attacks. However, the physical perpetrators of the arson attacks have not yet been identified.

News.Az