By Hassan Mahmoudi*

The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung on Wednesday, January 16, called Iran’s alleged spy in the German army “a spy among the spies”.

The newspaper wrote that the detained suspect was a member of the German electronic battle battalion, based in Rhineland-Palatinate.

The battalion’s experts listen to the “hostile talks”, disrupt the activities of the enemy’s transmitters, and protect the radio communications of the German army.

The alleged spy, Abdulhamid S., a 50-year-old Afghan citizen, has been collaborating with the German Army in the “Language Assessment” department as an advisor on culture and people.

The newspaper wrote that he was responsible for the “language assessment” including translation of information collected from his mission site.

It should be noted that one day earlier, the Spiegel website wrote that the detainee had access to “sensitive information” including information on the mission of the German forces in Afghanistan, and had cooperated with Iran’s intelligence services several years ago.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that signs of Iranian regime’s espionage in the German Army have been obtained in 2017.

Afterwards, Abdulhamid S. has been at the center of attention as a suspect and under surveillance until December 6, 2018 when an order was issued for his arrest. On January 16, he was sent to the Federal Court of Germany in charge of reviewing his case.

On the other hand, according to the German Homeland Security Organization, Iran’s intelligence agencies focus on “spying and fighting opposition forces inside and outside the country,” and the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) is playing a key role in this regard. In addition, the Iranian regime’s Homeland Security Organization has time and again emphasized on the “continued interest in gathering information on foreign policy and security” by the MOIS.

The activities of the Iranian intelligence in Europe have long been a concern of the German security agencies. Several cases of the regime’s attempts to assassinate their opponents in Europe are still open.

The Iranian regime’s Intelligence Ministry is responsible for “spying and fighting opposition forces inside and outside Iran,” according to the German Homeland Security Organization.

Meanwhile, the German Bundestag (Federal Parliament) opposition parties issued an alert following the arrest of the Iranian regime’s suspected spy in the German Army.

“If it is confirmed that one of the forces of the German army has provided many years of sensitive information to Iran’s intelligence services, it must be clarified why his activities have not been discovered all these years,” said Stephan Thomae, a liberal MP and an internal affairs expert in the German Bundestag.

He demanded an explanation by the German military to a parliamentary committee responsible for controlling the activities of intelligence agencies and special events, including espionage cases. Mr. Thomae is a member of this parliamentary committee.

Due to his work in the German Army, the detained spy, Abdulhamid S., has had access to important information, including the deployment of German forces in Afghanistan and possibly in other areas of importance for German security services.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that the German army had been operating in Afghanistan since 2001. They began a complementary mission to rebuild and train Afghan security forces after completing the NATO mission in Afghanistan in 2014. The number of troops deployed in Afghanistan is currently fewer than 1,300 soldiers.

The case of spying for the Iranian regime in the German Army has certainly undermined the German Ministry of Defense. Due to the follow-up of the opposition representatives, a commission of inquiry has been set up in the Bundestag on Wednesday, January 16, to examine some military advisory contracts. Some of these contracts, according to the German Audit Office, had a high cost for taxpayers and the way they were signed between the Ministry of Defense and the consulting services was not transparent.

What it shows is that Iran will go to extraordinary lengths to spy on and undermine the West. The Germans are sorting it out now, but this won’t be the last we hear of such illegal activity.