Two Romanians convicted over stabbing of Iranian opposition journalist in Wimbledon

Two Romanian nationals have been found guilty of stabbing Iranian opposition journalist Pouria Zeraati in Wimbledon in what investigators believe was an attack carried out on behalf of the Iranian regime. The verdict was returned by a jury at Woolwich Crown Court, where the pair were convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The case centres on an assault in March 2024 that left the journalist needing hospital treatment.

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The court heard that Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, were involved in the attack on 29 March 2024. Prosecutors said Badea used the knife, while Stana drove the Mazda getaway car. A third man, David Andrei, was accused of holding Zeraati while he was stabbed, but he was not on trial because he could not be extradited from Romania.

Zeraati works for Iran International, a Persian-language channel critical of the Iranian government. He said the attack was frightening and told the court that Badea first asked him for £3 before pulling out a knife. He said he was stabbed three times in the back of his right thigh and later needed stitches.

The attack took place as he walked to his car near his home, close to the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Counter Terrorism Policing said detectives believe Zeraati was targeted because of his role as a prominent opposition voice whose programmes are broadcast into Iran. Officers also pointed to posters of him in Tehran marked "Wanted: dead or alive" as part of the wider context of the case.

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The police assessment is that the attack was intended not only to silence him, but also to send a message to others. The case has wider significance because it sits within concerns in the UK about overseas regimes using local criminals or hired intermediaries to carry out intimidation or violence. A senior counter-terrorism officer said investigators are seeing more cases linked to foreign states trying to exert influence in Britain.

That makes the verdict relevant beyond one assault, because it speaks to how authorities view threats against dissidents and journalists living in the UK. The court outcome also follows a rapid sequence of events after the stabbing, with all three men said to have flown from Heathrow Airport to Switzerland just hours later. The conviction of Badea and Stana leaves questions about the role of the third suspect and any wider network behind the attack.

It is not clear from the available material what sentence the two convicted men will receive, or whether further proceedings will follow in relation to Andrei.

#Iran #Wimbledon #WoolwichCrownCourt #CounterTerrorismPolicing #IranInternational

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