Masked Attackers Assault Iranian ‘Political Activist’ in Berlin
According to Berlin police, an Iranian political activist in the city was attacked by three masked assailants. The attackers threatened the victim in Persian. Berlin’s intelligence police have taken responsibility for investigating the incident.
According to Berlin police, on last Wednesday (February 3) a 47-year-old Iranian in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district was beaten by three masked attackers. The person told police that the assailants called him by name and spoke to him in Persian.
Berlin police stated in a statement that the attack occurred on Wednesday evening, January 30 at 10:30 p.m. The victim, described as an “Iranian political activist,” told Berlin police that he believes the attack was likely related to his political activities.
Berlin’s intelligence police (the department for combating terrorist activities) has taken responsibility for investigating the incident and a case file has been opened. In a telephone call with DW Farsi, Berlin police stated that they currently cannot provide further details about the incident.
According to the victim, the attackers threatened him in Persian and injured him with punches and kicks. Police also confirmed that the victim was wounded in the attack.
Organized Attack or “Rogue” Actions
Reuters news agency also reported on February 4 (15 Esfand) that if the attackers were acting in connection with Iranian security forces, this attack could have a “negative impact” on relations between the Islamic Republic and the European Union.
In recent months, several European countries have expelled multiple Iranian diplomats from their territories. Assadollah Assadi, an employee of Iran’s embassy in Austria, was also arrested on charges of terrorist activities in Germany and subsequently transferred to Belgium. In this context, Iran’s ambassador to Albania was even expelled from the country on charges of supporting terrorist activities.
Ali Majedi, Iran’s former ambassador to Germany, in an interview with ISNA news agency in recent weeks did not rule out “unauthorized operations” by forces affiliated with the Islamic Republic outside the country. Majedi explicitly stated regarding actions against opponents of the Islamic Republic: “We face something like ‘unauthorized operations’ inside the country; can we deny that examples of such incidents also occur outside the country?”
According to Majedi, Europeans have presented documents regarding the Islamic Republic’s activities to assassinate opponents outside the country that cannot be “easily” dismissed.
France, Denmark, and the Netherlands had previously accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of terrorist activities on their soil. On Sunday, February 3 (14 Esfand), the European Union also issued a 12-point statement, one of the main topics of which was Iran’s terrorist activities on European soil. European countries stated in this declaration that they would show no “flexibility” in the face of Iran’s terrorist activities.
Source: DW
