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Two Sentenced for Iran-Linked Journalist Attack, 20 Plots Foiled

7/4/2026

42 8 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

CCTV captured the assailants laughing as they fled in a blue Mazda and boarded a Heathrow-to-Geneva flight.
Judge Cheema-Grubb sentenced George Stana to 12 years and Nandito Badea to eight years, saying the attack on journalist Pour Zeraati was ordered by a foreign power targeting him.
Counter-terrorism police reported a rise in state-sponsored proxy attacks and said they have foiled 20 Iran-linked plots in the UK since 2022.

History

Historical Context

After Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini toppled the Shah in February 1979, he created the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on 5 May 1979, initially enlisting roughly 6,000 members. The Guard quickly became Iran’s chief instrument for exporting the new theocratic agenda, supporting militias across the Middle East and prompting Western security services, including Britain’s, to monitor Iran-linked threats today.

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Story summary

CCTV captured the assailants laughing as they fled in a blue Mazda and boarded a Heathrow-to-Geneva flight.
Judge Cheema-Grubb sentenced George Stana to 12 years and Nandito Badea to eight years, saying the attack on journalist Pour Zeraati was ordered by a foreign power targeting him.
Counter-terrorism police reported a rise in state-sponsored proxy attacks and said they have foiled 20 Iran-linked plots in the UK since 2022.

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