Two men of Iranian origin found guilty over plot to 'eliminate' UK-based journalists

A London court has found two men of Iranian origin guilty over surveillance carried out as part of a plan to 'eliminate' journalists living in the United Kingdom. Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were convicted of engaging in conduct likely to assist Tehran's intelligence services.

The court heard that the two men, hired through social media, carried out surveillance and reconnaissance between August 2024 and March last year in an attempt to inflict violence on their targets.

The targets included two journalists for the London-based Persian broadcaster Iran International, Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, and Jonathan Turner, a founder member of UK Lawyers for Israel.

The defendants visited addresses linked to their targets, took photos and videos, and used platforms such as ChatGPT to research them online.

Sepahvand used ChatGPT to find the home address of Pourmohsen, the court heard. He hoped to be paid £150,000 to carry out a violent attack and help to 'finish off' the journalist.

In December 2024, while spying on Pourmohsen, Sepahvand chatted on WhatsApp with his handler, who the court heard was an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander called Amin.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC told the court that Iran and its rulers cannot tolerate dissent. He said eliminating hostile, critical or dissident actors overseas is a staple policy of the Islamic Republic, and that the two defendants were engaged in what was obviously a form of spying.

Satirist and journalist Kambiz Hosseini, 51, had to leave home and stop work as a standup comedian because of the threats. He was sent a message with a picture of his car saying that the next time he started the engine it would blow up. His family in Iran also received threats and had to leave the country.

Sepahvand claimed his family was being threatened and that he never intended to go through with the attack; he also denied plotting to kill Turner. Manesh claimed he took a picture of the Iran International site because it was a 'beautiful building' and did not know they were working with Iranian intelligence services.

The jury convicted Sepahvand of both assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparatory conduct. Manesh was convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service but cleared of preparatory conduct. Shapoor Noori, 57, of Ealing, was cleared of both charges.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded Sepahvand and Manesh in custody ahead of sentencing at the Old Bailey on 17 December.