Against the backdrop of the Iran war, German security authorities are warning of potential attacks by the pro-Iranian group Harakat Aschab al-Jamin al-Islamija (HAYI, Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Rightly Guided) in Europe. The group's threat to deploy "even more dangerous means of attack" represents a new development, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) stated, according to a report by Handelsblatt (Tuesday edition).
Security policy experts expressed concern about the group's activities, with experts suggesting that Iran's Revolutionary Guards may be operating behind the organization.
According to Handelsblatt, the domestic intelligence agency suspects an Iraqi-Shiite network behind HAYI. "The organization uses various channels from the Shiite-extremist and pro-Iranian sphere across different social media platforms to report on its activities," the agency explained.
"What is new is HAYI's warning that it will no longer limit itself to 'simple' attacks, but will also incorporate more dangerous means of attack in the long term." The group has now also "clearly stated its political motivation" behind the attacks and openly threatens "Israeli facilities as well as the so-called 'enemies of Islam' in Europe."
Since March 9, according to the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), there has been an increase in attacks – particularly arson attacks – on Jewish and US institutions in Europe, with HAYI claiming responsibility. According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the attacks, particularly arson incidents, have taken place "during nighttime or early morning hours and so far have resulted in no casualties."
The agency noted that "primarily facilities in the Benelux countries and Great Britain have been targeted," but also objectives in Germany.
According to terrorism expert Peter Neumann, the pattern of attacks suggests that Iranian masterminds may be orchestrating the operations. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have "been propagating this type of attack in Europe for some time," said the Professor of Security Studies at London's King's College to Swiss broadcaster SRF.
The approach is consistently similar, Neumann explained. "This means they did not carry out these attacks themselves. They have tried to recruit people on the internet, including individuals from criminal backgrounds, who were found online and then given money to carry out or attempt to carry out attacks."
German security policy experts also suspect a connection with the Iran war. The recent spate of incidents is "closely linked to the escalation of the Iran conflict," said Marc Henrichmann (CDU), chairman of the Parliamentary Control Panel for Intelligence Services in the Bundestag, to Handelsblatt. The threat to Jewish, Israeli, and US facilities therefore remains high, even though they are already under special protection.
The masterminds operate in secrecy, Henrichmann stated. The approach corresponds to Iran's known pattern of spreading terror through proxies worldwide. "Much suggests that this is not a traditional militia, but rather a loose network that recruits and controls local perpetrators via social media."
Konstantin von Notz (Greens), vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Control Panel, warned of a "new dimension of threat," in which the Iranian leadership may be "deliberately" deploying so-called disposable agents as proxies, "to monitor, threaten, and attack Jewish, Israeli, and facilities associated with Israel, as well as Iranian regime critics in the diaspora," von Notz told Handelsblatt.
Irene Mihalic, the Greens' parliamentary managing director, warned in the Rheinische Post that HAYI's "open attack threats" represent "a new scale of threat," particularly for Jewish, Israeli, and US facilities in Germany. Following the warnings from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, appropriate protective measures must be implemented, Mihalic told Rheinische Post.
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