Iranian journalist describes London stabbing by 'men working for Iran'
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati, based in London and working for the Persian language channel Iran International, was stabbed in the thigh in a targeted attack outside his home in Wimbledon on 29 March 2024.
- Two Romanian men, George Stana and Nandito Badea, are on trial accused of carrying out the knife attack as paid proxies for the Iranian state, charges which they both deny.
- The prosecution alleges the attack was premeditated, with surveillance of Zeraati’s home starting a year prior, and the attackers fleeing the UK immediately after the incident.
- CCTV evidence shows the accused men spent hours near Zeraati’s home on the day of the attack, with one waiting in a car ready for a quick escape after the stabbing.
- Zeraati managed to stop the bleeding using a builder’s utility belt and was hospitalized with three stab wounds; the case highlights concerns over state-sponsored violence against dissident journalists abroad.