BERLIN — A man suspected of promising to get weapons for an attack on Jewish targets in Germany was arrested Wednesday in Denmark, Germany’s top prosecutor said.
The suspect, an Afghan national who was identified as Tawab M. in line with German privacy rules, had allegedly been in contact with a Danish national who is suspected of gathering information on Jewish locations and individuals in Berlin for Iranian intelligence, possibly with a view to attacks.
The federal prosecutor said that in late May, Tawab M. promised Ali S. that he would obtain a weapon for a third person and persuade them to attack Jewish targets in Germany. Tawab M. allegedly has a history of procuring weapons, accessories and explosive devices in Denmark.
The third person’s identity is unknown. Ali S. was arrested in June and is being prosecuted separately.
Tawab M. was taken into custody on suspicion of having agreed to incite another person to commit a homicide, the prosecutor said. The arrest warrant was issued last month.
He will be brought before a judge in Germany to determine whether he will be kept in custody pending formal charges after extradition from Denmark. It wasn’t immediately clear when that will happen.
A German police officer stands guard in front of the synagogue in Frankfurt, Germany, November 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)
The arrest came as German authorities intensified efforts to curb extremist Islamist networks. Earlier Wednesday, the federal interior ministry banned the Muslim Interaktiv association, accusing it of anti-constitutional activities in calling for the establishment of a caliphate.
Police also searched seven properties in Hamburg and 12 more in Berlin and the state of Hesse as part of investigations into Generation Islam and Realitaet Islam, two other Islamic organizations suspected of similar activities.
Founded in 2020, Muslim Interaktiv organized demonstrations and maintained an active presence across social media platforms. Under the ban, the group will be disbanded and its assets confiscated, the ministry said.
Anti-Israel activists face police forces at the university campus of the Free University of Berlin, Germany, May 7, 2024. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP)
German security authorities stepped up protection for Jewish and Israeli facilities after a 12-day war broke out between Israel and Iran in June.
Germany is a staunch ally of Israel and has a history of tense relations with Tehran, though it has been one of the three leading European powers trying to engage Iran in diplomacy over its nuclear program.
In October, Germany ordered the closure of all three Iranian Consulates in the country in response to the Iranian judiciary’s announcement of the execution of Iranian German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd, who lived in the United States and was kidnapped in Dubai in 2020 by Iranian security forces. That left the Islamic Republic with only its embassy in Berlin.
