AFP, Karlsruhe, Germany, 1 Dec 2011 – Federal prosecutors in Germany said Thursday they had launched a probe into reports Iran was planning to attack American targets in Germany in the event of US military action against Tehran.
Mass circulation daily Bild earlier reported that Tehran had drawn up plans to attack US forces in Germany to disrupt logistics and supply lines in the event of a conflict.
‘We have an investigation on this issue,’ the head of the federal prosecutors’ office, Harald Range, told reporters.
However, the head of the federal crime office, Joerg Ziercke, stressed: ‘We do not see any immediate danger right now.’
Bild said officers had already conducted a house search in early November in connection with the investigation but Range confirmed only ‘operational measures’ had been taken.
A probe had been launched, according to Bild, against a German businessman with close links to the Iranian embassy in Berlin on ‘suspicion of acting as a foreign agent with the intention of sabotage’.
A US European Command spokesman said that all threats to American interests on German soil were taken ‘very seriously.’
‘Commanders at every installation … have the option to increase force protection measures based on their local security environment. We do not discuss specific security measures or any specific threats,’ he added.
There are approximately 55,000 US military personnel in Germany, not including their family members or civilian employees.