Two Iranians convicted over UK surveillance likely to aid Iran

Two Iranian men, Mostafa Sepahvand and Farhad Javadi Manesh, were convicted at Woolwich Crown Court of engaging in conduct likely to assist Iran’s intelligence service after surveilling people in the UK. Their targets included two journalists with the London-based Persian broadcaster Iran International and Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel. Prosecutors said Sepahvand intended to carry out a violent attack against at least one target, while Manesh helped plan the operation; the men visited addresses, recorded photos and videos, and researched their targets online. A third defendant was acquitted. The case focused on whether the men’s conduct was likely to assist a foreign intelligence service, rather than whether direct contact with Iranian intelligence officers could be established.