Europe
Tehran summons German ambassador after Hamburg conviction over plot against Jewish leaders
The diplomatic clash deepens after Berlin accused Iranian intelligence of the plan to kill Josef Schuster and Volker Beck.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 08:00 · Updated 12:21 · 1 min read
In brief
- The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned German Ambassador Axel Dittmann in protest.
- Berlin had earlier summoned the Iranian ambassador following the Hamburg court ruling.
- A Danish national was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in prison, an Afghan to 4 years and 6 months.
Iran summoned Germany's ambassador in Tehran, Axel Dittmann, in response to Berlin's decision to summon Iranian Ambassador Majid Nili Ahmadabadi. The diplomatic clash stems from the conviction of two men by a court in Hamburg for plotting to kill two leaders of Jewish organizations in Germany.
Those convicted are a Danish national, identified as Ali Hassan S., who received 8 years and 6 months in prison, and an Afghan accomplice, sentenced to 4 years and 6 months. Both were arrested last year in Denmark and later extradited to Germany.
The targets: Schuster and Beck
According to the court, the targets were Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, head of the German-Israeli Society, as well as a Jewish grocery store in Berlin. The judge described the case as terrorist activity organized by Iran and said Iranian intelligence had directed the defendants.
The German Foreign Office said it would not tolerate any attack on Jewish life and that the attempts against Schuster and Beck would have legal consequences. Berlin again called on its EU partners to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization.
Tehran denies any involvement and calls the accusations baseless political statements. According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, turning political accusations into a court ruling does not make them any more credible.
