Two Men Charged over Attack on British-Iranian Journalist

A general view of the Canary Wharf financial district is pictured in London, Britain, September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
A general view of the Canary Wharf financial district is pictured in London, Britain, September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
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Two Men Charged over Attack on British-Iranian Journalist

A general view of the Canary Wharf financial district is pictured in London, Britain, September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
A general view of the Canary Wharf financial district is pictured in London, Britain, September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo

British prosecutors said on Thursday they had authorized charges to be brought against two Romanian men over the stabbing of a journalist working for a Persian language media organization in London in March.

Pouria Zeraati, a British-Iranian journalist who works for Iran International, sustained leg injuries after being stabbed near his home in Wimbledon, southwest London.

Counter-terrorism police have led the investigation into the attack over concerns he had been targeted because of his job at the Persian language television news network, which is critical of Iran's government.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Nandito Badea, 19, and George Stana, 23, had been arrested in Romania on Wednesday and charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and wounding.
"They have both now appeared in a Romanian court for the start of extradition proceedings," a CPS spokesperson said. "We continue to work closely with Romanian authorities, to ensure that our extradition request is progressed through the courts."
British police, security officials and politicians have issued a number of warnings about what they say is Iran's growing use of criminal proxies to carry out attacks abroad.
In December last year, an Austrian man was convicted in Britain of collecting information that could be used in an attack after he was accused of carrying out "hostile reconnaissance" on Iran International's London headquarters.
The following month, Britain imposed sanctions on Iranian officials it said were involved in threats to kill journalists on British soil.
The UK's domestic spy chief, Ken McCallum, said in October that since January 2022 his MI5 service and the police had responded to 20 Iranian-backed plots, which potentially posed lethal threats to UK citizens and residents.
Iran rejected those accusations and accused Britain of hosting what it called terrorist groups.
"We're happy for Pouria, who suffered the attack," Reuters quoted Adam Baillie, a spokesperson for Iran International, as saying. "And we're delighted that the UK police investigation into the attack has progressed to this stage. It is reassuring for our journalists, as for others in organizations under similar threat."



Türkiye Detains 282 Suspects in Large-scale Operation Against PKK

Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Türkiye Detains 282 Suspects in Large-scale Operation Against PKK

Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkish police have detained 282 suspects in the past five days in a large-scale operation targeting the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday.
The suspects were detained across 51 provinces, the minister said on the X social media platform.
The detentions came despite renewed efforts between Ankara and the PKK to resolve a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. These efforts are expected to include a call by the PKK’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, for his group to lay down arms.
According to The Associated Press, Yerlikaya said those detained are suspected of providing financial support to the PKK, recruiting members, engaging in propaganda and participating in violent street protests.
Police seized two AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons during the raids, the minister said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has widened a crackdown on the opposition in recent months, arresting journalists and politicians among others.
Several elected Kurdish mayors have been ousted from office and replaced with state appointed officials for alleged links to the PKK. The latest was on Saturday, when the mayor of Van municipality in eastern Türkiye was removed from his post and replaced with the state-appointed governor.