London, United Kingdom – A Britain court on Friday sentenced two Romanian nationals to prison after convicting them of involvement in the knife attack on Iran International TV presenter Pouria Zeraati in London.
British authorities described the case as part of a premeditated operation.
Meanwhile, a third suspect remains in custody in Romania awaiting extradition proceedings to Britain.
Prison sentences for the defendants
The court sentenced George Stana to 12 years in prison and Nadetu Badia to eight years
after convicting them of involvement in the attack that took place on March 29, 2024, in the Wimbledon area of London.
According to court documents, Badia and David Andrei carried out the stabbing.
Stana was responsible for helping the perpetrators escape from the scene of the attack.
The third defendant, David Andrei, remains in custody in Romania on another charge.
Britain authorities are continuing their efforts to extradite him and bring him to trial.
Investigations reveal organized operation
Britain police confirmed that investigations revealed the attack was not a random act,
but rather the culmination of nearly a year of surveillance targeting the journalist.
The aim was to gather information necessary to carry out the attack.
Counter-terrorism officials explained that the attackers had planned the operation in advance.
They also noted that Zeriti’s quick response contributed to his survival of the assassination attempt.
This occurred after he was stabbed multiple times as he left his home for work.
Strengthening the protection of media institutions
Britain authorities confirmed that the case prompted them to strengthen security measures
to protect media institutions, particularly Persian-language media outlets operating in London.
The British Crown Prosecution Service also indicated that the case is part of
a campaign it described as targeting Iranian dissidents and journalists abroad through agents.
It confirmed that investigations are ongoing to identify all those involved and bring them to justice.
Furthermore, it emphasized that Britain will not tolerate any attempts to target freedom of expression or the safety of journalists on its soil.
