Judge Rules London Stabbing of Journalist Was Carried Out for Iran
A year of covert surveillance outside one man's home ended in a London courtroom on Friday, with a judge stating plainly who she believed was really behind it.
George Stana, 25, and Nandito Badea, 21, both Romanian nationals, were jailed at the Old Bailey for a knife attack on journalist Pouria Zeraati that a judge ruled was carried out "on behalf of" the Iranian state.
What Happened to Zeraati
Zeraati, an anchor at the Persian-language broadcaster Iran International, was stabbed three times in the thigh outside his home in Wimbledon on 29 March 2024.
Prosecutors described the attack as "a planned attack preceded by reconnaissance," ordered by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state.
Badea and another man, David Andrei, "crowded" Zeraati during the attack, with one of them stabbing him multiple times while Stana waited in a getaway car spotted on CCTV during earlier "hostile reconnaissance."
Zeraati needed emergency treatment but returned to work the following month, telling colleagues "the show must go on."
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The Judge's Ruling
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told the Old Bailey the "evidence overwhelmingly points" to the attack being carried out on behalf of the Iranian regime.
"I am sure that this was an attack carried out for and for the benefit of a foreign power," she said, adding that Zeraati had previously faced threats along with members of his family.
Stana was jailed for 12 years, with his sentence extended because the judge found he "ought to have known" the attack was carried out on behalf of Iran, meeting the "foreign power condition" under the National Security Act.
Badea, whom the judge said was involved in the conspiracy for less time, received eight years.
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How the Case Came Together
Badea and Andrei visited Zeraati's property on eight occasions across five separate dates, and had flown into the UK "expressly" for the attack, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the plot had likely been in planning for more than a year before the stabbing took place.
Both men denied the charges but were convicted at trial of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Andrei, the third man allegedly involved, remains in Romania and was not part of this trial because he faces separate charges there.
Badea and Stana were arrested in Romania and extradited to the UK in December 2024 with help from Romanian authorities, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the National Crime Agency.
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Zeraati's Own Account
Zeraati told police in a victim impact statement that the attack left him "scared and anxious," forcing him to relocate abroad out of fear of reprisals.
He later said he was "shocked" to learn his wife had unwittingly filmed one of his future attackers conducting reconnaissance outside their home more than a year before the stabbing.
Iran International, the broadcaster where Zeraati works, was designated a "terrorist" organisation by Tehran in 2022, the same year Iran also targeted the BBC's Persian-language service with the same label.
A Pattern Beyond One Case
Chief Superintendent Kris Wright of Counter Terrorism Policing London said the judge's ruling confirmed the force's assessment that the attack was carried out on behalf of the Iranian regime.
Security minister Angela Eagle called the attack "abhorrent," saying the sentences send "a clear message" that anyone acting on behalf of a foreign state to commit crimes in the UK "will be identified, pursued and punished."
Counter Terrorism Police say they have foiled 20 separate plots in the UK linked to Iran since 2022, positioning Zeraati's stabbing as one confirmed case within a much larger pattern of attempted attacks rather than an isolated incident.
TL;DR
- George Stana and Nandito Badea were jailed for 12 years and eight years respectively for stabbing journalist Pouria Zeraati.
- A judge ruled the 2024 attack was carried out "on behalf of" the Iranian state.
- Zeraati was stabbed three times outside his Wimbledon home after being surveilled for over a year.
- A third suspect, David Andrei, remains in Romania facing separate charges.
- UK Counter Terrorism Police say they have foiled 20 Iran-linked plots since 2022.
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Politics & World News Editor
James Mitchell has covered US and UK politics for over a decade, with a focus on elections, foreign policy, and Capitol Hill. He breaks down complex political stories into clear, fast analysis.
