Independent Iranian media journalist stabbed in London, counter-terrorism investigates

2024-03-29 23:59:22

British counter-terrorism officers are investigating the stabbing of a journalist working for independent Iranian media based in the UK on Friday, London police said.

Police found the victim – a man in his 30s – at an address in Wimbledon, in the southwest of the British capital, with leg injuries from a stabbing, a indicated the metropolitan police.

He was transported to hospital, where he is in stable condition and his prognosis is not threatened, according to police.

The exact reasons for the attack ignored

“The victim’s profession, a journalist at a Persian-language media outlet based in the United Kingdom,” is an important part of the counterterrorism investigation, although the exact reasons for the attack have not yet been revealed. identified, according to police.

“Detectives are following a number of lines of inquiry and our priority at this time is to try to identify and arrest those responsible for this attack,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Army’s counter-terrorism command. Metropolitan Police.

He added that additional patrols would be carried out “as a precaution” in the Wimbledon area and other sites, to reassure concerns among “people working in similar fields and among Iranian communities”.

Threats targeting journalists

For several years, London police have been investigating threats from Iran targeting British journalists working for Persian-language media.

In December, an Austrian national was convicted of spying for a group that allegedly planned an attack on the Persian-language channel Iran International.

The Iranian government declared the outlet a terrorist organization after it reported on protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in September 2022 at age 22 after being arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating the dress code strict of the Islamic republic for women.

Last year, the British government unveiled a tougher sanctions regime against Iran over alleged human rights abuses and hostile actions against its opponents on the ground British.