Sympathizers of the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah in Germany could commit serious criminal acts of violence, warns Torge Keller, head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order in Bremen, in an interview with the political magazine "Panorama 3" of the German public broadcaster NDR.
He points out that the war in the Middle East causes the "emotionalization" of Hezbollah supporters. It could lead to the radicalization of individuals who, unlike the previous practice, could think that they should also operate in Germany or some other European countries, Keller fears. These are the so-called "lone wolves" whose behavior is difficult to predict and even more difficult to control.
According to Keller, the Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order observed that some Hezbollah sympathizers, after the death of long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah at the end of September, openly identified with him. Until now, supporters of Hezbollah, which is classified as a terrorist organization in Germany, have mostly gone into hiding, Keller notes.
Given the escalation in the Middle East, the possibility of violent attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe cannot be ruled out, especially by individuals or small groups, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order announced to the NDR.
State terrorism in the name of Iran
The Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order also considers possible acts of state terrorism on behalf of Iran. Due to the escalation in the Middle East, "we seriously have to reckon with the fact that Iran will not hesitate to use all the actors available to it", says Keller. Among such actors, in addition to supporters of Hezbollah, there are also members of organized crime. "The rule applies there: the end justifies the means," reminds Keller.
The Shia-Islamist organization Hezbollah was founded in 1982 with the support of Iran and continues to enjoy its support to this day.
Attack attempts and acquisition of drones
Two years ago, an alleged Hezbollah sympathizer tried to commit an anti-Semitic motivated attack on behalf of Iran. A German-Iranian citizen was convicted for planning to set fire to a synagogue in Bochum in November 2022. According to NDR, investigators found photos with Hezbollah symbols and a picture of Nasrallah on his computer. The convict denied anti-Semitic motives before the court. According to the conclusions of the Higher Land Court in Düsseldorf, the attempted attack was ordered by Iranian state institutions.
For a long time, Germany was considered by Hezbollah only as a place to retreat to safety, but that has now changed. According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order, Hezbollah is now using Germany as an "operational area" for "strategic and logistical purposes," including collecting donations and procuring military-relevant assets.
In one such case in Lower Saxony, in mid-July, the Federal Criminal Office arrested the Lebanese Fadel Z. in Salzgiter. According to the allegations, he procured parts for drones for Hezbollah, and they were to be exported to Lebanon. Fadel Z. is in pre-trial detention, and his lawyer did not want to comment on the charges.
Fadel Z. allegedly operated in a network with other Hezbollah sympathizers in Europe. At the same time as his arrest, Spanish police arrested three other suspects and seized parts for hundreds of military drones.
Hezbollah networks in Germany
Hezbollah supporters gather in cultural associations of Lebanese migrants and Shia-Islamist mosques. According to an investigation by the journalists of the program "Panorama 3", the German security services have identified more than 30 associations throughout the country as "close to Hezbollah". The authorities estimate that there are more than 1.300 Hezbollah supporters in Germany, with the most in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Berlin.
The banning of the Shia-Islamist "Islamic Center Hamburg" (IZH) in July of this year was justified by the fact that IZH financially and organizationally supported Hezbollah, the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced. "Various activities of IZH have shown that it supports the military-political dimension of the so-called 'axis of resistance', and especially the alliance with the terrorist Hezbollah," said the spokesman of the Ministry.
Investigations in Hanover
In the Hanover region, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating a network of alleged Hezbollah members. Five people are suspected of membership in that Lebanese terrorist organization. According to the investigations of the "Panorama 3" journalists, the investigations are directed at leading persons from the Salman-Farsi Mosque association in Langenhagen and the "Brotherhood Community" association in Hanover.
Last Sunday, one of the suspects, Fadel R, who is suspected of being trained in Lebanon as a senior Hezbollah cadre, was arrested. In one period he was a member of the administration of the Salman-Farsi mosque.
In June, a German court convicted Hezbollah supporters for membership in a foreign terrorist organization for the first time. The Higher Land Court in Hamburg sentenced the former president of the now banned "Al-Mustafa Community" in Bremen, Abdul V., and the preacher Hasan M. to several years in prison. The verdict against Abdul V. is final, while Hasan M. filed an appeal.
Bonus video:
