LONDON (AP) — Two Romanian men, Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, were sentenced to prison terms of eight and twelve years respectively for the stabbing of a journalist associated with a Persian-language television station, an act the judge characterized as orchestrated on behalf of the Iranian government. The incident involved Pouria Zeraati, a presenter at the London-based Iran International, who was attacked outside his residence in the Wimbledon area of London in March 2024.
In a trial that concluded last month, both Badea and Stana were found guilty of wounding Zeraati with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb, who presided over the sentencing hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court, emphasized that the evidence overwhelmingly indicated the attack was conducted for the benefit of a foreign power.
“I am sure that this was an attack carried out for and for the benefit of a foreign power,” Judge Cheema-Grubb stated during the hearing. The U.K. security officials have reported an increase in plots attributed to Iran, where criminal proxies target opposition media and Jewish communities on British soil.
Iran International, the satellite news channel, has faced escalating threats due to its critical coverage of Iran’s theocratic regime. Zeraati, being a prominent figure on the channel, had previously been featured on a billboard in Tehran with a "Wanted: Dead or Alive" notice. In response to the growing threats, the broadcaster temporarily relocated its operations to Washington, D.C., in 2023 before resuming at a new location in London.
The police investigation revealed that Badea, a former professional soccer player, alongside another accomplice, attacked Zeraati and subsequently fled the scene in a getaway vehicle driven by Stana. The two men were apprehended in Romania in December 2024 and were subsequently extradited to the U.K. A third suspect, identified as David Andrei, remains under criminal proceedings in Romania.
Regarding the sentencing, the judge noted Stana's understanding of the attack’s seriousness and its foreign backing, resulting in a twelve-year prison sentence. In contrast, Badea, who was part of the conspiracy for a shorter duration, received an eight-year sentence. Despite the incident, Zeraati managed to recover and return to work; however, in his victim impact statement, he expressed feelings of fear and anxiety, stating that he had to relocate abroad to avoid potential reprisals.
Ken McCallum, head of Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence service, disclosed in October that over twenty dangerously lethal plots backed by Iran had been foiled in the preceding year. Compounding the worries, an Iranian proxy group has claimed responsibility for a series of suspected antisemitic attacks in London, including stabbings and attempts to firebomb synagogues.
