Man Convicted of ‘Hostile Reconnaissance’ on London-Based TV Channel Critical of Iran

 An Iranian woman walks past a mural in Tehran. (AFP)
An Iranian woman walks past a mural in Tehran. (AFP)
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Man Convicted of ‘Hostile Reconnaissance’ on London-Based TV Channel Critical of Iran

 An Iranian woman walks past a mural in Tehran. (AFP)
An Iranian woman walks past a mural in Tehran. (AFP)

A man accused of carrying out "hostile reconnaissance" against a London-based television station critical of Iran's government was on Wednesday convicted of collecting information which could be used in a terrorist attack on the channel.

Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev flew from Austria to London in February, before going straight to the Persian-language Iran International channel's headquarters in west London.

Prosecutors said Dovtaev, 31, went to Iran International's office to try and record security arrangements after the channel became a target following its reporting on the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in Iran and subsequent protests last year.

Prosecutor Nicholas de la Poer told London's Old Bailey last week that Iran's minister of intelligence had declared Iran International a terrorist organization – and that others had carried out surveillance on the channel before Dovtaev.

Dovtaev denied a single count of attempting to collect information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and claimed he had been "set up" into visiting Iran International's London office.

He gave evidence that he and his father had been defrauded of around 20,000 euros and were told the fraudsters could be traced to a business park in west London, not knowing that it was in fact the headquarters of Iran International.

Dovtaev also told jurors that he and his family had fled Chechnya when he was a child, after his uncle was kidnapped by Russian soldiers, and were granted political asylum in Austria.

Asked by his lawyer if he had any affiliation with or support for the Iranian regime, Dovtaev said he did not.

Dovtaev was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday. He showed no emotion as the verdict was delivered.



Israel Launches Communications Satellite from Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lifts off at Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center before the launch of Axiom Space Axiom Mission on June 25, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images/AFP
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lifts off at Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center before the launch of Axiom Space Axiom Mission on June 25, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images/AFP
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Israel Launches Communications Satellite from Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lifts off at Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center before the launch of Axiom Space Axiom Mission on June 25, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images/AFP
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lifts off at Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center before the launch of Axiom Space Axiom Mission on June 25, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images/AFP

Israel on Sunday said it had launched a new national communications satellite on board a SpaceX rocket from the United States.

The Dror 1 satellite was blasted into orbit on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the foreign ministry said.

"This $200 million 'smartphone in space' will power Israel's strategic and civilian communications for 15 years," the ministry wrote on X.

Accompanying video footage showed the reusable, two-stage rocket lift off into the night sky. SpaceX said the launch happened at 1:04 am in Florida (0504 GMT Sunday).

IAI, which called the launch "a historic leap for Israeli space technology", said when it announced the project to develop and build Dror 1 that it was "the most advanced communication satellite ever built in Israel".

In September 2016, an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket exploded during a test in Florida, destroying Israel's Amos-6 communications satellite, which was estimated to have cost between $200 and 300 million.