Newly obtained documents have uncovered the extent of Iran’s influence over Islamic centers in Germany.

According to Der Spiegel, Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, the leading sheik at the Islamic Center of Hamburg, was in continuous contact with the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The communication, part of a 220-page closure order by Germany’s Interior Ministry, reveals an exchange of over 650 WhatsApp messages between late 2021 and late 2023.

Of particular note were instructions on how to shape the narrative around Hamas’ massacre against Israel on October 7. Mofatteh received explicit directions to frame the insidious attack as a necessary act of resistance against Israel’s “genocide” against Arabs.

Beyond ideological influence, evidence of financial links between Hamburg’s Islamic Center and Iran’s terror proxies was discovered. During police raids in January, multiple documents bearing Khamenei’s personal stamp and signature for Hezbollah financial endorsements were found.

One document belonged to a Hezbollah cleric responsible for foreign relations, who often visited the center multiple times. In it, he expressed gratitude for the “financial, spiritual, and advisory support” provided under Mofatteh’s leadership.

In July, Germany shut down the Khamenei-controlled Islamic Center, citing its role in promoting terrorist ideology, antisemitism, and anti-democratic threats to the country’s constitutional order. Just last week, the German government deported Imam Nasir Niknejad, who had led Berlin’s Islamic Center, which has also been under investigation.