Romanian Nationals on Trial for Stabbing Iranian Journalist in London

Two Romanian nationals, Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, have gone on trial at London's Woolwich Crown Court, accused of stabbing Iranian-British journalist Pouria Zeraati in March 2024. Prosecutors allege the attack was orchestrated by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state.

Zeraati, a presenter for Iran International—a Persian-language media outlet critical of Tehran—was stabbed three times in the leg near his home in Wimbledon, southwest London. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson described the incident as a "deliberate, planned violence to achieve... serious injury to its target."

The court heard that the assailants conducted reconnaissance prior to the attack. On the day of the incident, Badea and another man confronted Zeraati as he approached his car; one held him while the other inflicted the stab wounds. They then fled in a vehicle driven by Stana, later abandoning the car and flying to Geneva from Heathrow Airport.

Both defendants deny charges of wounding with intent and unlawful wounding. A third suspect, David Andrei, was arrested in Romania but is not part of the current trial.

Iran has denied any involvement in the attack. The trial is expected to last more than two weeks.