Pouria Zeraati, an Iranian TV host based in London, has been discharged from the hospital after being repeatedly stabbed outside his home in Wimbledon on Friday. Zeraati works as a presenter for Iran International and stated that the group, which attacked him, seemed to have planned the attack. The London-based TV station has faced “heavy threats” for the last 18 months, and the Iranian regime has denied its involvement in the attack. The counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation, according to the London Metropolitan Police.
The Metropolitan Police are yet to reveal any information on the motive behind the attack. However, in light of recent threats towards UK-based Iranian journalists and Zeraati’s occupation, specialist counter-terrorism officers are investigating the case. Iran International resumed its operations in London in September 2023 after moving its broadcasting studios to Washington DC in February 2023 due to “significant escalation in state-backed threats from Iran.” The Iranian regime opposed the UK-based TV network and declared it a terrorist organization.
Zeraati expressed his gratitude to well-wishers for their “sympathy, kindness, and love” in the past few days and added that he and his wife are currently residing at a safe place under the supervision of the Metropolitan Police. According to Iran International’s spokesperson, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had targeted journalists and their families. The Iranian regime is denying any link to the attack, and no arrests have been made yet.
In January, the Foreign Office had announced sanctions against members of the IRGC’s Unit 840 after an ITV investigation revealed assassination plans against two of Iran International’s presenters. The Iranian regime and criminal gangs operating on its behalf were considered an unacceptable threat to UK security. Last year, Chechen-born Austrian national Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for spying on Iran International before a “planned attack” on UK soil. According to the Metropolitan Police, since the start of 2020, 15 plots to either kidnap or kill individuals perceived as enemies of the Iranian regime in the UK have been thwarted
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