PARIS, France: In May, a Paris court detained and charged a couple, Abdelkrim S. (34) and Sabrina B. (33), for allegedly conspiring with an Iranian-backed organization to kill Jews in Germany and France. The couple was charged on May 4 with “conspiring with a criminal terrorist organization” and placed in pre-trial detention.
The case, dubbed “Marco Polo,” points to a resurgence of Iranian sponsored terrorism in Europe, according to a report by France’s General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI). The DGSI report noted that since 2015, Iran’s secret services have resumed a policy of targeted killings, and this threat has intensified amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The alleged Iranian intelligence operation aimed to target civilians, instill fear in Europe, and intimidate both political opponents of Iran and Jewish and Israeli communities. Iran is reportedly accused of recruiting criminals, such as drug lords, to carry out these operations.
Abdelkrim S., previously sentenced to 10 years in prison for a murder in Marseille, is accused of being the main France-based operative for the terrorist cell. His probation release came in July 2023, and he is suspected of planning violent acts in France and Germany. Investigators believe that a former fellow inmate connected Abdelkrim with the cell’s coordinator, a significant drug trafficker from Lyon who is suspected of having visited Iran in May.
Targets included a Paris-based former employee of an Israeli security firm and three of his colleagues in the Paris suburbs, along with three Israeli-German citizens in Munich and Berlin. Despite being on probation, Abdelkrim is alleged to have traveled multiple times to Germany for reconnaissance purposes.
The cell is also suspected of planning to set fire to four Israeli-owned companies in southern France between late December 2023 and early January 2024. However, Abdelkrim, while in detention, has denied these allegations, claiming he was merely acting as a go-between on Telegram for an insurance scam.
The case highlights the ongoing threat in Europe and the complex networks allegedly used to carry out these plots.
