A journalist was stabbed outside his home in London by men working for Iran as part of a campaign of "Iranian terror", a court was told.
Pouria Zeraati was left bleeding in the street after he was attacked by “proxies” of the Iranian regime in Wimbledon in March 2024, Woolwich Crown Court heard.
Posters of Zeraati had been put up in the Iranian capital of Tehran with the caption, ‘Wanted: dead or alive’.
Zeraati worked for Iran International, a Farsi-language dissident broadcaster, which the regime in Iran branded as “a network of spies”, and its journalists were subjected to harassment, the jury heard.
Romanian nationals Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, have both denied charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and unlawful wounding.
They were the money-motivated “hired help” who were on a mission to cause Mr Zeraati “really serious harm”, according to prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC.
It is alleged they carried out “a planned attack preceded by reconnaissance, and which was ordered by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state”.
Mr Atkinson added: “The targeting and the use of proxies provides, the prosecution say, a clear context and explanation for the attack on Pouria Zeraati and the motivation of those involved.
“It reveals this to have been a deliberate attack for the intentional infliction of serious injury on Zeraati – in other words this was no robbery, no fight that got out of control, it was deliberate, planned violence to achieve what it did – serious injury to its target.”
Iran International, with its liberal funding and links to Saudi Arabia, had come under attack because of its support for opposition groups and criticism relating to the Islamic Republic, the court heard.
The Persian-language news outlet was based in Chiswick until February 2023 when threats made against the network, its employees and their families led it to relocate temporarily to Washington DC.
As a well-known journalist, Mr Zeraati was “an obvious and readily identifiable target for violence to be inflicted by proxies acting for the Islamic Republic of Iran”, according to the prosecution.
His photograph was among a number of journalists who appeared on a “Wanted: dead or alive” poster that was put up in Tehran, the Iranian capital, in November 2022.
It is alleged the defendants were “in a team” along with another man, named as David Andrei – who is not part of this trial, who took part in the attack.
Stana’s role was as the getaway driver and the team spent such “a significant period of time” in the area that passers-by thought they were waiting for a taxi, the court heard.
Mr Atkinson added: “The prosecution say that the attack, which involved the stabbing of Pouria Zeraati committed by two assailants and a getaway driver, was preceded by reconnaissance, and was ordered by a third party.”
Mr Zeraati was attacked by two men as he walked to his car.
Mr Atkinson said: “One grabbed him whilst the other stabbed Zeraati three times to the leg before the two attackers ran to a nearby car, in which their waiting getaway driver then drove them away.”
It is alleged that Stana, Badea and Andrei had stayed at a hotel in West Brompton the night before the assault.
The attack was launched moments after Badea approached Mr Zeraati and asked for money. He was then joined by Andrei.
Mr Atkinson told the court: “Pouria Zeraati noticed that Badea looked towards Andrei, who then grabbed him with a very strong and firm grip to his front.
“Mr Zeraati then saw Badea produce a knife from his pocket, and Badea then stabbed Mr Zeraati to the top of his thigh near his buttock.
“He was stabbed three times in rapid succession before the two attackers ran off leaving Mr Zeraati injured and bleeding.”
Stana then drove them from the scene in a Mazda.
The car was dumped, along with clothing including Badea’s distinctive hooded top and Stana’s green jumper, before they fled in a taxi.
They eventually headed to Heathrow Airport and fled to Geneva, the court heard.
Mr Atkinson added: “In other words, once they had done what they had gone to Wimbledon to do, they made good their escape.
“The evidence demonstrates that this was not a random assault, or a robbery. Rather it was a planned and targeted attack.”
Mr Atkinson said the jury will hear evidence that an “autocratic” and “more paranoid and security-driven” Islamic Republic of Iran emerged from the overthrow of the Shah in 1979.
There is a prominent role for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and it is “more reactive to criticism and restrictive of the media”.
Mr Atkinson also said a prosecution expert is set to tell that jury that “in terms of modus operandi, the Islamic Republic turned less to its own operatives and increasingly used proxies in the form of criminal gangs”.
He said the expert will add that “the Islamic Republic has a long tradition of assassinating and murdering dissidents abroad, at times using their own agents and on other occasions using proxies and ideological fellow travellers”.
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