Two men have been found guilty of involvement in a targeted knife attack on an Iranian journalist in London, an assault said to have been carried out on behalf of the Tehran regime. Pouria Zeraati, a British journalist of Iranian origin, worked for Iran International, a Farsi-language dissident broadcaster, when he was stabbed in the leg outside his west London home in 2024.
Guilty Verdict
On Friday, jurors found Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The Romanians, who had denied the charges, will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on 3 July. A third man, David Andrei, was arrested in Romania but was not involved in the trial at Woolwich Crown Court.
The Attack
Zeraati was stabbed three times in the thigh as he walked to his Wimbledon home in a “planned attack preceded by reconnaissance which was ordered by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state.” Prosecutors said the pair targeted Zeraati because his channel’s opposition coverage and Saudi backing led Tehran to designate it as a terrorist organisation in 2022. Jurors saw images of posters in Tehran featuring journalists, including Zeraati, with the words “Wanted: dead or alive.”
Duncan Atkinson KC, prosecuting, said all three men acted as a team and carried out “extensive surveillance and reconnaissance” for the attack “ordered by a third party.” Badea wielded the knife while Andrei, not on trial, was also part of the attack. Stana waited in a getaway car spotted on CCTV footage during “hostile reconnaissance” before the attack.
Defence Claims
Badea and Stana told police they were surprised by the stabbing and claimed Andrei was the real culprit. Their presence in the UK was funded by others, including a company called Hemroc Ltd through Stana’s sister’s Revolut account. Jurors were told the attackers were seen laughing as they fled.
The head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in the UK has denied any link between Tehran and the attack. The conflict has broadened to diaspora communities in the UK, including arson attacks against Iranian dissidents and Jewish targets. Later this month, another man will stand trial for allegedly working on behalf of Iran to surveil a journalist at Iran International.
Broader Context
In April, London-based Iranian journalists told the Guardian they feared for their lives after a spate of threats and physical attacks blamed on the Tehran regime. Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime and counter-terrorism division, said the evidence showed the Zeraati case was “a deliberate, targeted attack on a journalist, carried out after months of planning and surveillance.” He added: “These convictions reflect the strength of that evidence and the seriousness of an offence designed to silence a journalist through intimidation and violence.”
