Three men, Mostafa Sepahvand, Farhad Javadi Manesh, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, face charges in the UK for allegedly planning serious violence against journalists from Iran International and UK Lawyers for Israel, according to reports. The prosecution alleges that Sepahvand intended to physically execute a violent attack against at least one of the named targets, while Manesh and Noori assisted in the planning stages.
Between August 2024 and March last year, the defendants visited addresses connected to their targets, taking photographs and videos, and using platforms like ChatGPT for online research. Sepahvand accepts that he conducted surveillance for the benefit of the Iranian regime but maintains he was threatened or bullied into doing so.
Furthermore, Sepahvand stated that he would 'finish him/her off' if paid £150,000, referencing a threat involving a payment and a court case. The men are charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service, and Sepahvand also faces charges for surveillance with the intent to commit serious violence in the UK.
Manesh and Noori are additionally charged with carrying out reconnaissance and surveillance, with the intent that others would commit serious violence against a person in the UK.
