LONDON — Two Romanian nationals received prison sentences Friday for the stabbing of a journalist who works for a Persian-language satellite news channel based in London, in an attack a judge determined was orchestrated on behalf of the Iranian government.
Pouria Zeraati, a well-known presenter at Iran International, was stabbed in the leg in March 2024 near his residence in the Wimbledon neighborhood of London.
Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, were convicted by a jury last month on charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Presiding Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb stated that the “evidence overwhelmingly points” to the assault having been carried out under the direction of Iranian authorities.
“I am sure that this was an attack carried out for and for the benefit of a foreign power,” the judge declared during the sentencing proceedings at London’s Central Criminal Court.
British security officials have asserted that Iran is responsible for a growing number of operations on U.K. soil, using criminal intermediaries to go after opposition media organizations and the Jewish community.
Iran International has faced threats in the past because of its critical reporting on Iran’s theocratic leadership. Zeraati was a prominent figure at the channel, and prosecutors revealed that a billboard displaying his image had appeared in the Iranian capital bearing a “Wanted: Dead or Alive” message.
In 2023, the broadcaster temporarily relocated its operations to Washington, D.C., after describing an escalation of what it called “state-backed threats from Iran.” The channel later resumed broadcasting from a new location in London.
According to police, Badea — a former professional soccer player — and another individual carried out the stabbing before escaping in a getaway vehicle driven by Stana. The two then departed the country via Heathrow Airport. Both Badea and Stana were arrested in Romania in December 2024 and subsequently extradited to the United Kingdom. A third suspect, David Andrei, is facing separate criminal proceedings in Romania.
The judge noted that Stana should have understood the “targeted and serious” nature of the attack and its connection to Iran, sentencing him to 12 years in prison. Badea, who was involved in the plot for a shorter period, received an eight-year sentence.
Iran’s top diplomatic representative in the U.K. has rejected claims that Tehran had any involvement in the attack.
Zeraati recovered from his injuries and returned to his broadcasting role, but said in a victim impact statement that the ordeal left him “scared and anxious” and forced him to move abroad “for fear of any reprisals.”
Chief Superintendent Kris Wright of Counter Terrorism Policing London stated, “It was our case that this targeted and violent attack on a journalist was carried out on behalf of the Iranian regime, and the judge agreed with that assessment of the evidence.”
“Our message to anyone being asked to carry out activity by foreign states or even unknown entities online is to think again, because you will be caught and you will face justice,” he added.
The head of Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence agency, Ken McCallum, said in October that more than 20 “potentially lethal Iran-backed plots” had been disrupted over the previous 12 months.
An Iranian proxy group has also claimed responsibility for a recent series of suspected antisemitic attacks, including stabbings and attempted fire bombings targeting synagogues.
