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🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Crime & Justice

Two Romanians jailed for stabbing Iranian journalist in London

From The Guardian · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Two Romanians were jailed for their involvement in a targeted knife attack on an Iranian journalist in London.
  • The attack on Pouria Zeraati, who worked for the critical Iran International channel, was carried out on behalf of the Iranian state.
  • One attacker received 12 years in prison, the other eight, and the victim stated the incident left him scared and anxious, forcing him to relocate.

Two Romanians have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a "targeted" knife attack on Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati in London. The assault, which occurred outside Zeraati's home in Wimbledon, saw him stabbed three times. Prosecutors argued the attack was ordered by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state.

I am sure that this was an attack carried out for and for the benefit of a foreign power.

— Mrs Justice Cheema-GrubbThe judge stated her certainty that the attack was orchestrated by a foreign power.

Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, were convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. At the Old Bailey, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb stated that the "evidence overwhelmingly points" to the attack being orchestrated for the benefit of a foreign power. Stana, deemed to have "ought to have known" the "targeted and serious" nature of the assault, received a 12-year sentence, while Badea was given eight years.

Pouria Zeraati was a well-known critic of the regime and he had previously been subjected to threats, as had members of his family.

— Mrs Justice Cheema-GrubbThe judge explained the context of the attack, linking it to the victim's critical stance against the Iranian regime.

The court heard that Zeraati, a prominent critic of the Iranian regime working for the Persian language channel Iran International, had previously faced threats. The prosecution detailed that Badea and another individual, David Andrei (currently in Romania), conducted reconnaissance on Zeraati's property multiple times before the stabbing. CCTV footage showed Stana waiting in a getaway car during this "hostile reconnaissance."

a planned attack preceded by reconnaissance, and which was ordered by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state

— prosecutorsProsecutors described the nature of the stabbing attack on Pouria Zeraati.

In a victim impact statement, Zeraati reported feeling "scared and anxious" and subsequently relocated abroad due to fear of reprisals. The court was informed that Iran International has been designated a terrorist organization by the Iranian state, and Zeraati himself had been featured on a billboard in Tehran with a "Wanted: Dead or Alive" message. The attackers were reportedly seen laughing as they fled the scene, subsequently flying out of the country.

scared and anxious

— Pouria ZeraatiThe victim described the psychological impact of the attack in a statement to the Metropolitan police.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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