Overview
- A jury convicted Nandito Badea and George Stana of wounding with intent and on Friday they were sentenced to eight years and 12 years respectively for the attack on 29 March 2024 against Iran International presenter Pouria Zeraati.
- Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb concluded the assault was carried out on behalf of the Iranian state and applied the ‘foreign power condition’ in Stana’s case, a finding that increased his sentence because he knew or ought to have known of the state link.
- Counter Terrorism Policing London led a multi‑strand probe that used CCTV, forensic and mobile phone data to trace the suspects to Romania, where they were arrested in December 2024 and later extradited to the UK.
- Zeraati was stabbed three times in the thigh, survived the attack, told police it left him 'scared and anxious', and has since relocated abroad for his safety.
- Security agencies and prosecutors say the case fits a pattern of Iran‑linked transnational repression using criminal proxies and the court finding may prompt tougher protective steps for diaspora media and new legal precedent in future state‑linked attacks.