German Court Accuses Individual Of Arson Linked To Iranian Regime

A court in Germany has levied accusations against an individual in connection with a fire that occurred in November 2022 at a school in the city of Bochum.

The defendant is alleged to have received directives from the Iranian government, with the primary target being a synagogue situated adjacent to the school.

The 36-year-old defendant, a dual Iranian-German citizen, is set to face trial on September 12th in the regional high court of Dusseldorf, as indicated by the official indictment. He has been charged with orchestrating an arson attack under the orders of Iranian government authorities, targeting a synagogue in the Ruhr region of western Germany.

Court documents reveal that the accused made unsuccessful attempts to recruit an acquaintance as an accomplice in executing the attack plan, with the acquaintance subsequently reporting the matter to law enforcement authorities.

The incident, which happened in mid-November, resulted in only minor damage. Since that time, the accused has remained in custody.

Prior to these developments, German media had referred to the accused as Babak J. and linked him to an earlier synagogue attack in the city of Essen, in November. Reports indicated that he had also been planning a third attack on a synagogue in Dortmund, where he was eventually apprehended.