Alleged Surveillance and Targets
At Woolwich Crown Court in London on Tuesday, three men accused of spying for Iran appeared before a jury. Prosecutors told the court the trio conducted surveillance and reconnaissance on UK-based journalists as part of a scheme to carry out serious violence. The accused are Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, all facing National Security Act charges. Among those targeted, the court heard, were Iran International journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, plus Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
The prosecution's case is that Sepahvand meant to personally carry out a violent attack on at least one target, with Manesh and Noori helping to plan it. Jurors heard the men went to addresses connected to the targets, captured photographs and video, and used tools including ChatGPT to gather information about them online between August 2024 and March last year. The jury was told it was not disputed that all three carried out the surveillance and reconnaissance.[S1]
Defence Claims and Prosecution Response
Sepahvand admits acting for the Iranian regime's benefit, but says he was threatened or bullied into it and deliberately performed poorly. Prosecutors called that an entirely bogus claim, telling jurors his motives were payment and getting his Iranian theft conviction fixed. Manesh and Noori say they were unaware the surveillance was meant to help Iranian intelligence. All three deny the charges and were assisted by interpreters in the dock.[S1]
A voice note played to the court captured Sepahvand telling an associate he would finish off a target in exchange for £150,000. According to the recording, he said they promised to resolve his court case and pay him that sum if he completed the job. He called the work illegal and punishable by a long prison term, and asked for at least £10,000 to be transferred immediately. He added that he would travel wherever instructed and stand there, and if the person was inside, they would pay the £150,000 and he would finish him or her off.[S1][S4]
Charges and Trial Details
The charges against the defendants include conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service. Sepahvand, who lives in St John's Wood, north London, additionally faces a charge of surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research intended to bring about serious violence against someone in the UK. Manesh, of Brent, and Noori, of Ealing, also face charges of surveillance and reconnaissance with the intention that others would commit serious violence against a person in the UK. The trial continues.[S1]
