Two Iranian men convicted of spying plot to attack UK journalists

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were convicted at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday of engaging in conduct likely to assist Iran's intelligence service. The pair were found guilty over a plan to target UK-based journalists with what prosecutors called serious violence. A third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was cleared of the same charge.

Sepahvand carried out surveillance and reconnaissance ahead of inflicting violence on several targets in the UK, the court heard. Those targets included two journalists working for Iran International, the London-based Persian broadcaster, and Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel. Manesh, the prosecution said, helped plan the operation.

The defendants visited addresses linked to their targets and captured photos and videos of them, according to the case. They also turned to online platforms, including ChatGPT, to research the people they were tracking. Prosecutors told the court Sepahvand meant to personally carry out a violent attack on at least one of the targets.

Jurors delivered the guilty verdicts on Thursday, concluding a case built on surveillance evidence and the men's own reconnaissance of their targets' homes and movements.