Two Romanians convicted of stabbing Iranian opposition journalist in London on behalf of Iran
Two Romanian nationals were found guilty on June 5, 2026, of stabbing Iranian opposition journalist Pouria Zeraati near his home in Wimbledon in March 2024, in an attack prosecutors said was ordered by the Iranian regime to silence him. Nandito Badea, 21, wielded the knife, and George Stana, 25, drove the getaway car; both were convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm at Woolwich Crown Court. Counter terrorism police said the attackers were paid proxies, with more than £80,000 traced through a construction company linked to a British-Iranian dual national who has not been charged.
Two Romanian nationals were found guilty on June 5, 2026, of stabbing Iranian opposition journalist Pouria Zeraati in an attack prosecutors said was ordered by the Iranian regime to silence him.
Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, were convicted by a jury at Woolwich Crown Court of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Badea wielded the knife; Stana drove the Mazda getaway car. A third man, David Andrei, allegedly held Zeraati during the stabbing but was not on trial because he could not be extradited from Romania.
The attack occurred on March 29, 2024, near Zeraati's home in Wimbledon, close to the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Zeraati, who works for Iran International, a Persian-language channel critical of the Iranian government, suffered three stab wounds to his right thigh and required stitches. He said the attack was "very frightening" and described how Badea first asked him for £3 before pulling out a knife. "He started stabbing the back of my right thigh very quickly. All the time he was looking me in the eye," Zeraati said. "I could feel the taking out and stabbing again."
All three men flew from Heathrow Airport to Switzerland hours after the stabbing.
Counter terrorism detectives believe Zeraati was targeted because of his role as a high-profile opposition voice. Posters of him had been put up in Tehran with the words "Wanted: dead or alive." Ch Supt Kris Wright of Counter Terrorism Policing said: "I believe he was targeted because of his role as the vocal opposition to the Iranian regime here in the UK. The coverage that he has globally is significant. An attack on him could be seen not only as an attack to silence him, but also for Iran to send a message to wider populations."
Wright described the offenders as "proxies" – people hired for money rather than belief. "People for hire, local criminals - or not so local criminals - willing to undertake acts for money rather than because of their beliefs or affiliation to a regime's beliefs," he said.
More than £80,000 was paid into the Revolut account of Stana's sister Florina from a London-based construction company called Hemroc Ltd. Money from her account was then transferred to accounts linked to Badea and Stana. The money transfers have been linked by detectives to a British-Iranian dual national called Edgar Hakkopian, who has not been charged.
In January 2025, a 40-year-old man was arrested in Cricklewood, north-west London, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and released on bail. Counter terrorism detectives said their investigation is continuing.