Romanians on Trial for Stabbing Journalist in London

Two Romanian men, Nandito Badea and George Stana, went on trial Monday at Woolwich Crown Court in London for the stabbing of British-Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati. The prosecution alleges that the attack was a planned act ordered by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state.

Zeraati, who worked for Iran International, a Farsi-language dissident broadcaster critical of Tehran, was stabbed three times in the leg outside his home in Wimbledon in March 2024. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC described the attack as deliberate and targeted, stating that it was preceded by reconnaissance and ordered by a third party acting on behalf of Iran.

The prosecution presented evidence linking the attack to Iran's designation of Iran International as a terrorist organization in 2022. Posters featuring Zeraati with the words 'Wanted: dead or alive' were displayed in Tehran, indicating he was a target of the regime. Atkinson also noted that since 2005, Iran has increasingly used proxies such as criminal gangs to carry out attacks on individuals it perceives as threats.

Badea and Stana deny charges of wounding with intent and unlawful wounding. A third man accused of involvement, David Andrei, was arrested in Romania but is not part of the trial. The court heard that Badea allegedly wielded the knife during the attack, while Stana drove the getaway car.

The prosecution detailed extensive reconnaissance leading up to the attack, including an incident where Stana was found near Zeraati's home a year prior with gloves and scissors. Financial transactions linked to a British-Iranian dual national were also presented as evidence of funding for the defendants' activities in the UK. The trial is expected to last several weeks.

CCTV footage shown in court captured the moment prosecutors say Badea and Andrei surrounded Zeraati as he was about to drive to Iran International's studio. Witnesses described seeing the men laughing before and after the attack. One witness, Zainab Mussa, reported that she saw the attackers near her home two hours before the incident and observed their rushed behavior. Another witness, Jack Upton, noted that the attackers appeared relaxed and jovial before sprinting towards a blue Mazda car, which was later found abandoned in New Malden.

Zeraati testified that Badea approached him asking for change before Andrei grabbed him from behind and Badea stabbed his right thigh. The attackers fled the scene in the blue Mazda, which contained tea towels and a bottle of Dettol surface cleaner. All three men later caught a taxi to Heathrow Airport, flew via Geneva, and returned to Romania.