The Iranian flag flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

A man accused of spying on Jewish institutions and individuals in Berlin on behalf of Iranian intelligence — allegedly in preparation for potential terrorist attacks — has been arrested in Denmark.

In a statement released Tuesday, German prosecutors confirmed that a Danish citizen was detained last week in Aarhus, a city in western Denmark, on suspicion of being tasked by Iranian intelligence with collecting information on “Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals” in the German capital.

According to German authorities, the man allegedly spied on three properties last month, “presumably in preparation for further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets.”

While it hasn’t been disclosed which sites and individuals were targeted, a report by German magazine Der Spiegel revealed that the suspect took photos of several houses, including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society (DIG).

The suspect is accused of working for a foreign intelligence service, reportedly receiving orders from the Quds Force, Iran’s elite paramilitary unit responsible for directing its proxies and terrorist operations abroad.

After being extradited from Denmark, the suspect will appear before a German judge who will decide whether to keep him in custody pending formal charges.

This latest threat comes as concerns grow over Iranian sleeper cells while tensions in the Middle East escalate amid the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Jerusalem.

After Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities last month to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Iran warned of retaliation, saying it may activate sleeper cells abroad and mobilize its proxies — from Hezbollah to the Houthis — to target Israeli assets in response to the attacks.

As tensions escalated between the two adversaries, Jewish security groups and institutions worldwide, including schools and synagogues, increased security measures and urged vigilance, anticipating that Iran — limited in its capacity to retaliate militarily against Israel — might target Israeli and Jewish interests abroad.

Tehran has a long history of deploying spies to orchestrate assassination plots and attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets across Europe and the United States.

For example, Swiss authorities last year arrested Swedish teenagers who, acting on Iranian instructions, attempted to attack the Israeli embassy in Stockholm.

There have also been reports of Iranian links to a shooting at a German synagogue and planned attacks on Jewish sites in Cyprus in recent years.

In the US, one notable case is the foiled 2011 plot in which authorities uncovered an Iranian plan to assassinate the then-Saudi ambassador by bombing Café Milano, a Washington, DC, restaurant popular with American officials.

Germany has long been a strong ally of Israel, even as an increasing number of European Union members adopt anti-Israel stances and push for measures against the country.

At the same time, Berlin has maintained a tense relationship with Tehran while striving to re-engage Iran diplomatically over its nuclear program.