A bombshell report by a leading German newsweekly has exposed alarming connections between a prominent Islamic leader in Germany and the inner circle of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The revelations, based on an extensive police investigation, detail how the Islamic Center Hamburg functioned as a conduit for terrorist funding and Iranian propaganda, ultimately leading German authorities to permanently shutter the facility.
Der Spiegel unveiled the findings on Friday, revealing that Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, who heads the Islamic Center Hamburg—one of Germany’s oldest Islamic institutions—maintained frequent telephone communications with Mahdi Mostafavi, a high-ranking official in Khamenei’s office.
A voluminous police report, spanning more than 200 pages, outlines the connection between the center and the Iranian regime. The relationship involved not only ideological guidance but also direct instructions.
Notably, mere days after the Oct. 7 attack—when Hamas-led terrorists from Gaza stormed the Israeli border, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage—Khamenei’s office had already dispatched to Mofatteh the official narrative to be propagated in Germany regarding the massacre.
One of the messages uncovered by police investigators reads, “The Islamic resistance had no alternative means to halt Israel’s crimes. … Owing to the bravery of Palestinian youth, Zionism will be forever altered.”
Beyond ideological directives, investigators discovered documents pointing to fundraising activities for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Some documents, bearing Khamenei’s official seal, detailed specific financial transfers for “operations” in Yemen.
Germany participates in the U.S.-led coalition safeguarding maritime freedom in the Red Sea, and Houthi forces have previously targeted a German naval vessel involved in this mission.
In response to these findings, Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser declared the permanent closure of the Hamburg center last month. Faeser emphasized that this action was not targeting any specific faith but rather aimed at safeguarding German citizens from terrorism and foreign interference.
The ministry said then that the Islamic Center Hamburg promoted antisemitism and supported Hezbollah, a banned terrorist group in Germany. The ban also affected the Shi’ite center’s branches in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
