Romanian men get 20 years for Iran-directed London stabbing

Two Romanian men were sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison on Friday for a knife attack on an Iranian journalist in London, which a judge ruled was carried out on behalf of the Iranian state. George Stana, 25, received a 12-year sentence, while Nandito Badea, 21, was jailed for eight years at the Old Bailey, London's Central Criminal Court.

The pair were convicted last month of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm for the March 29, 2024, stabbing of Pouria Zeraati, a presenter for the Persian-language broadcaster Iran International. Zeraati was stabbed three times in the leg outside his home in Wimbledon, southwest London.

Sentencing the men, Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said the evidence overwhelmingly pointed to the attack being conducted for the benefit of a foreign power. She stated that Zeraati was a well-known critic of the Iranian regime who had previously been subjected to threats, as had members of his family. The judge concluded that Stana ought to have known the targeted attack was on Iran's behalf, while Badea was involved in the conspiracy for a shorter period.

Prosecutors detailed a plot that involved more than a year of planning. The court heard...