Two Romanian citizens have been charged over the stabbing of an Iranian journalist outside his home in south-west London.
Pouria Zeraati, who works for dissident broadcaster Iran International, based in London, was knifed in the leg by three assailants as he approached his car in Wimbledon on March 29.
On Thursday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Nandito Badea, 19, and George Stana, 23, were arrested in Romania the previous day in connection with the incident and have since been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and wounding.
The two men will be extradited to the UK for criminal proceedings to take place, the CPS said.
Extradition proceedings
“Following a review of the evidence provided by the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command, we have authorised charges against two Romanian nationals," a CPS representative said on Thursday.
“The charges relate to an attack on a journalist in Wimbledon on the afternoon of Friday, March 29, 2024. Nandito Badea, 19, and George Stana, 23, were arrested in Romania on Wednesday, December 4, 2024," the representative added, before outlining the charges against them.
“They have both now appeared in a Romanian court for the start of extradition proceedings. We continue to work closely with Romanian authorities, to ensure that our extradition request is progressed through the courts."
'The show must go on'
After the attack, Mr Zeraati was moved to a safe house while counter-terrorism officers investigated. He said through a friend that he would carry on his work regardless of who was behind the attack, then returned to work a week later, saying “the show must go on”.
In April, Iran International spokesman Adam Baillie said the broadcaster and its journalists had been targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Crops (IRGC).
The channel aims to provide independent coverage of Iran, which has declared the outlet to be a terrorist organisation.
Iran’s charge d’affaires in the UK, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, said at the time “we deny any link” to the attack.
In January, the British Foreign Office imposed sanctions on members of the IRGC’s Unit 840 after an ITV investigation into a plot to assassinate two of Iran International’s presenters in Britain.
Officials said the plot was the latest credible example of Iran’s attempts to kill or intimidate people on UK soil, with at least 15 such threats reported since January 2022.
