• Germany banned IZH and its subsidiary organizations in July for “pursuing radical Islamist goals.”
• The ministry removed social media accounts associated with IZH and its website.
• Iran summoned the German ambassador in Tehran after closing IZH.

Germany has informed Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, the Iranian head of the recently banned Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), that he must leave the country within two weeks. Authorities in Hamburg announced on Thursday that Mofatteh has until September 11 to depart or face deportation. The interior ministry of Hamburg issued a statement detailing the deadline for his departure.

Mofatteh had led the IZH since the summer of 2018, the statement continued. He did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment sent via social media. Hamburg’s domestic intelligence agency found that he served as the official deputy of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Germany while heading the IZH until recently.

Bild newspaper and broadcaster NDR first reported the expulsion orders. After Germany banned the IZH and its subsidiary organizations in July for “pursuing radical Islamist goals,” the federal interior ministry stated that social media accounts associated with the IZH and its website have been removed in Germany.

The ministry stated that the IZH, home to one of Germany’s oldest mosques known for its turquoise exterior, had acted as a direct representative of Khamenei and aimed to incite an Islamic revolution in Germany. After closing the IZH, Iran summoned the German ambassador in Tehran.

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