Key facts
- One man sentenced to 8.5 years for preparing assassination and aggravated arson.
- The court stated one defendant was directed by Iran's intelligence service.
- Another man received a 4.5-year sentence for his role in the plot.
- The plot involved gathering information on Josef Schuster and Volker Beck.
- The men were also instructed to spy on two Jewish grocers in Berlin.
A German court on Thursday handed down prison sentences to two men for plotting to assassinate the leader of Germany's Jewish community, stating that one of the defendants was directed by Iran's intelligence service. The court in Hamburg convicted Ali S., a Danish national, of preparing an assassination and aggravated arson, sentencing him to eight years and six months. The court stated that S. was recruited by the Iranian secret service to carry out state-sponsored terrorist activities in Germany. Tawab M., an Afghan national, received a four-year, six-month sentence for his involvement in the plot. German federal prosecutors had filed charges against the two men in May. The court detailed that in early 2025, S. was tasked with gathering information on Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, chairman of the German-Israeli Society, as well as spying on two Jewish grocers in Berlin.