Germany recalls Iranian ambassador over conviction of two Iranians for "intelligence activities"

Berlin, Oct 19 (KUNA) -- The German Foreign Ministry announced on Monday the recall of the Iranian ambassador to Berlin following the conviction of two Iranian nationals for “engaging in intelligence activities” and attempting to commit murder. In a statement posted on the X platform, the ministry said it “strongly condemns Iran’s activities and will not allow them to threaten free German society.” The recall comes after a regional court in Hamburg, northern Germany, last week sentenced the defendants to eight and a half years and four and a half years in prison, respectively. The court accused the two convicts of monitoring Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Association, and of gathering information about them. According to the court, the defendants’ activities were aimed at preparing terrorist attacks. The court noted that one of the defendants was directly tasked by officers of the Quds Force, the external arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (End) A.N.J. / N.S.A.