New Details About Iran’s Alleged Spy; Espionage Among Spies
A German newspaper has published new details about an alleged Iranian spy in Germany. This spy worked in a unit that monitored “hostile communications” and disrupted the activities of enemy broadcasters.
The German newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” has described the alleged Iranian spy in the German military as “espionage among spies.” The newspaper reported that the arrested suspect was a member of the “Cyber Warfare Battalion” of the German armed forces stationed in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Specialists in this battalion monitor “hostile communications,” disrupt enemy broadcaster activities, and protect the German military’s radio communications.
The suspect, named Abdolhamid S., was born in Afghanistan and is 50 years old. He worked with the German military in the “Language Assessment” department and as an advisor on cultural and public affairs.
Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that the head of “Language Assessment” is responsible for translating information collected from their operational area. The Spiegel website reported a day earlier that the arrested individual had access to “sensitive information” including details about German military missions in Afghanistan and had been cooperating with Iranian intelligence services for several years.
The newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported that signs of Iranian espionage in the German military were discovered in 2017.
Following that, Abdolhamid S. came under suspicion and was under close surveillance for an extended period until finally, on December 6, 2018, an arrest warrant was issued against him. He was sent to the German Federal Court on Tuesday (January 16) which is responsible for reviewing his case.
According to Germany’s domestic security agency, Iranian intelligence organizations are focused on “espionage and combating opposition forces inside and outside the country,” and Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence plays the primary role in this regard. Iran’s domestic security organization has emphasized the “continued interest in gathering information in the areas of foreign policy and security” of the Islamic Republic’s Ministry of Intelligence.
The activities of Iran’s intelligence service in Europe have long been a source of concern for German security organizations. Several cases against the Islamic Republic of Iran for attempting to assassinate its opponents in Europe remain open.
Opposition parties in the German Federal Parliament have issued warnings following the arrest of a person suspected of spying for Iran in the German military.
Stephan Thomae, a domestic policy expert for the Liberal Party in the German Parliament (Bundestag), said: “If it is confirmed that one of the German military personnel for years provided highly sensitive information to Iranian intelligence services, it must be clarified why his activities were not discovered throughout all these years.”
Stephan Thomae emphasized: “The scope of possible espionage activities and their impact on the missions of German forces stationed in Afghanistan will, in my view, be among the most important questions.”
He has called for the military to provide an explanation to a committee in parliament that is responsible for overseeing the activities of intelligence organizations and special events, including espionage cases of this kind. This liberal representative is himself a member of this parliamentary committee.
Abdolhamid S., due to the nature of his work in the German military, had access to important information including the deployment of German forces in Afghanistan and possibly in other areas of importance to German security services.
The German military has had forces in Afghanistan since 2001. After the end of the NATO mission in Afghanistan in 2014, they launched a follow-on mission for the reconstruction and training of Afghan security forces. The number of forces currently stationed in Afghanistan is fewer than 1,300 soldiers.
The matter of spying for Iran in the German military has certainly occupied the country’s Defense Ministry as well. Due to follow-ups by opposition representatives in the Bundestag from Wednesday, December 26 (January 16), an investigation committee was formed to review certain consulting contracts with the military. According to information from Germany’s audit organization, some of these contracts imposed high costs on taxpayers and the manner of their signing between the Defense Ministry and consulting organizations was not transparent.
Source: DW
