Tehran, Nov 30, IRNA -- The attack on the Iranian Embassy in Berlin was premeditated, Islamic Republic of Iran's Ambassador to Germany Alireza Sheikh Attar said on Thursday, and criticized the German police for not acting in a timely manner.
'We immediately called the police and informed them, but unfortunately we faced the police delay in coming to the scene to protect the embassy's building,' Sheikh Attar told IRNA in an exclusive interview.
'A group of (assailants) who were between 20 to 30 and they were equipped with full equipment attacked the embassy building and in a skillful manner climbed the wall and by cutting the barbed wires managed to enter the embassy's yard,' he added.
The Iranian diplomat called on the German government to “prevent illegal activities against the diplomatic missions, because it is not only Iran. It is also a problem for the security of Germany.”
'Vienna Convention, which is about the duties of governments for hosting the diplomatic missions, explicitly mentions the responsibilities of the hosting country, and the major responsibility is protection of diplomatic missions, buildings and diplomats,” he noted.
On Wednesday afternoon, a group of assailants entered the premises of Iranian Embassy in Berlin. The German police said about 30 were involved in the incident.
According to Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, a number of the assailants have been detained and would be put on trial.
Later on Wednesday, in a telephone conversation with Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, Westerwelle strongly condemned the attack and pledged to take measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
