Three Iranians 'spied on dissident journalists and plotted violent attack' in London

Three Iranians are accused of spying on UK-based dissident journalists for their country's foreign intelligence service, with the aim of orchestrating a violent attack, according to a court in London. Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, are on trial for spying on Iran International, a Farsi-language television channel that criticizes the Iranian regime.

Sepahvand is also charged with preparing to commit serious violence, while the other two are accused of assisting him. One of the targets they monitored was Kambiz Hosseini, a well-known Iranian satirist and critic who hosts Iran International's nightly show, The Program. The prosecution contends that the trio's surveillance activities were intended to prepare for a violent attack against their targets as retaliation for their criticism of the Iranian regime.

The group allegedly collected information on London addresses and gathered intelligence on journalists working for Iran International through open-source intelligence. Hosseini's family had faced threats and intimidation from Iranian authorities, leading to his siblings fleeing the country. Sepahvand allegedly carried out the surveillance work for financial gain and had theft accusations against him in Iran dismissed.

They are also accused of spying on another Iran International journalist, Mojtaba Pour Mohsen. Sepahvand had briefing documents containing information about Pour Mohsen and Hosseini's lives in London, including the name of the latter's dog. All three defendants deny two charges under Britain's National Security Act, introduced to empower authorities in targeting threats from foreign state entities.