Three men go on trial over alleged surveillance plot

Three men went on trial at Woolwich Crown Court in London on October 6, 2026, accused of conducting surveillance on journalists and others as part of a suspected plan to commit serious violence. Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told jurors the alleged activity was intended to assist Iran’s foreign intelligence service; the defendants deny the charges, and the prosecution’s account of their purpose has yet to be tested at trial. The defendants are Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57. The prosecution says they gathered information on people considered hostile to or critical of the Iranian regime, including journalists with Iran International, a London-based Persian-language broadcaster. Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel, was also identified in court as an alleged target. Emlyn Jones said the men visited addresses linked to targets, took photographs and videos, and conducted online research. He told the jury the information was gathered to locate and target at least two journalists, and that the prosecution case was that one or more targets were intended to face serious violence.