A Danish citizen has been arrested in Denmark on suspicion of spying for Iran by collecting data on Jewish objects and individuals in Berlin, Danish and German authorities announced on Tuesday.
He will be extradited to Germany, authorities said.
German prosecutors said the suspect, who they identified only as Ali S in accordance with German privacy law, spied on three properties in June as part of preparations for additional espionage activities, including possible attacks on Jewish targets.
He allegedly received orders from Iranian secret services in early 2025, prosecutors said.
Germany's Foreign Ministry said the Iranian ambassador was summoned for a reprimand on Tuesday.
"If this suspicion is confirmed, it will be a scandalous incident that will show once again that Iran is a threat to Jews around the world," said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, after visiting a Jewish synagogue in the city of Odessa, during his visit to Ukraine.
The Iranian embassy in Berlin denied the allegations, describing them as "baseless and dangerous accusations" that, according to them, appear to be designed to distract attention from Israeli attacks on Iran.
"Previous discussions with German authorities have highlighted that some third parties are trying to divert public perceptions from real events through fabricated scenarios," a statement said.
According to Der Spiegel magazine, the suspect took photos of buildings, including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society and a building where the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, was said to have occasionally stayed.
After being transferred from neighboring Denmark, the suspect will appear before a judge at Germany's Federal Court of Justice, prosecutors said.
The suspect will be held in custody until July 23, pending extradition to Germany, Denmark's national security and intelligence service, PET, said in a statement.
During the 12-day war last month between Iran and Israel, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany was prepared for Iran to target Israeli or Jewish targets in the country, without giving further details.
The German-Israeli Society called on the European Union to include Iran's Revolutionary Guard on its list of terrorist organizations./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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