Iranian journalist stabbed in UK by men working for Iran, court told

"“This was not a random assault, or a form of robbery. Rather it was a planned and targeted attack.” “A planned attack preceded by reconnaissance, and which was ordered by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state,” he said."

"Atkinson said that since 2005 “the Islamic Republic has turned less to its own operatives and increasingly to use proxies such as criminal gangs to meet their threatened violence on their behalf”. He said people in the UK had “become targets of Iranian intimidation and, effectively, of Iranian terror”."

"Posters of Pouria Zeraati, a journalist for the London-based Iran International, had been put up in the Iranian capital Tehran with the words “Wanted: dead or alive”. @pouriazeraati Zeraati's employer, Iran International, had also been designated by the Iranian government as a “terrorist organisation”, the jury heard."

"Two Romanian men - George Stana, 25, and Nandito Badea, 21 - are on trial at Woolwich Crown Court, accused of attacking Zeraati in late March 2024, leaving him in hospital with three stab wounds in his leg. Stana and Badea have both denied charges of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and unlawful wounding. Badea is alleged to have wielded a knife in the attack, while Stana is said to have driven the Mazda used as a getaway car."

Pouria Zeraati, a journalist for London-based Iran International, was attacked with a knife in Wimbledon by men prosecutors allege acted on behalf of Iran. George Stana and Nandito Badea are on trial at Woolwich Crown Court accused of wounding Zeraati with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Zeraati was left in hospital with three stab wounds in his leg. Prosecutors allege Badea wielded the knife and Stana drove the getaway car. A third man, David Andrei, is accused of holding Zeraati but is not on trial and remains in Romania. Prosecutors describe the attack as planned and targeted, preceded by reconnaissance and ordered by a third party acting for the Iranian state.

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