Three Iranians 'spied on dissident journalists and plotted violent attack' in London
Three Iranians spied on UK-based dissident journalists on behalf of their country’s foreign intelligence service in preparation for an attack on one of them, a court was told. Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, are accused of carrying out surveillance on Iran International , a Farsi-language television channel that is critical of the Iranian…
Three Iranian nationals are accused of surveilling UK-based dissident journalists and planning a violent attack, according to a court in London. Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, are facing charges for their role in gathering intelligence on Iran International, a Farsi-language news channel that criticizes the Iranian regime.
The group targeted prominent Iranian satirist Kambiz Hosseini, who hosts a nightly show on the channel. Prosecutors argue that the men engaged in espionage with the ultimate goal of causing harm to their targets, potentially eliminating critical voices as the Islamic Republic of Iran's policy. The men allegedly used open-source intelligence and monitored London addresses to gather information on journalists working for Iran International.
The prosecution claims that Sepahvand carried out surveillance in exchange for money and had a history of theft accusations in Iran, which were later withdrawn. All three defendants deny the charges under Britain's National Security Act, which aims to combat threats from foreign state actors.
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