A Russian-speaking man accused of conducting hostile reconnaissance for a terrorist assault on a dissident Iranian TV station in West London informed police he was on a weekend sightseeing go to within the capital, a court docket has heard.
Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, arrived at Gatwick from Vienna on the morning of 11 February this yr and caught a taxi straight to Chiswick Business Park, paying in money, the Old Bailey was informed.
His go to was mentioned to be the latest in a sequence of a minimum of three such visits by “others unknown”, starting in the summertime of 2022, following threats from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.
CCTV confirmed Dovtaev – a Chechen-born Austrian nationwide – as he walked nonchalantly round Building 11 within the enterprise park the place the Iran International tv station was then housed on the primary ground, apparently taking video footage on his cell phone.
When his journey was noticed by safety guards, he informed them that he was planning to see his brother however wished to see the “beautiful” space and have a espresso.
However, one of many safety guards realised that he was talking on his Apple Airpod earphones and insulting them in Russian, calling them “motherf******” and “b******”.
They directed him to a Starbucks on the property and known as in armed police who arrested him as he sat at a desk within the espresso store, shortly earlier than 11am.
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Nick de la Poer KC, prosecuting, mentioned Dovtaev “remained noticeably calm” and his response “was not of a person who was alarmed or surprised about the fact that he was being detained under the Terrorism Act by a number of armed and unarmed police officers”.
After he was handcuffed, Dovtaev informed police he was ready for his buddy “Usman” who he knew from Chechnya however had not seen for 3 years.
He informed cops that he was planning to return to Austria the subsequent day however had not booked his return ticket.
Later, on the police station, Dovtaev elaborated, telling police that he was a household man who labored in IT in Austria and was paying a weekend go to to “see a friend and tour central London.”
In a press release handed to officers, he mentioned he had gone to Chiswick Business Park to be able to meet the buddy and had taken a 25-second video to be able to present his youngsters the lake on the enterprise park.
‘Deliberate untruths’ had been ‘to hide hostile reconnaissance’
Mr de la Poer informed the court docket: “The prosecution’s case is that this and everything the defendant told the security guards and the police officers at the scene were deliberate untruths.”
Dovtaev is now mentioned to have give you one other model, saying that he went to the enterprise park as a result of he was investigating whether or not fraudsters, who had defrauded him and his father out of enormous quantities of cash, had been working from Building 11.
“The prosecution’s response will be that it is another dishonest attempt by the defendant to explain his interest in Building 11,” Mr de la Poer added.
The prosecutor informed the jury: “The prosecution’s case is that he was not there to meet a friend, to look at the scenery or to have a coffee.
“The prosecution’s case is that he was finishing up hostile reconnaissance on Building 11.
“That is to say, he had travelled to the UK for the purpose of recording the security arrangements at the Chiswick Business Park in order that any vulnerabilities could be identified and exploited.”
The jury was informed that the TV station he was observing had attracted controversy in Iran after reporting on protests by ladies following the dying in detention of Mahsa Amini final autumn.
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Iran International – a Persian language information broadcasting service – “regularly reports on the Iranian authorities in a way that it is highly critical, including in relation to alleged human rights violations,” Mr de la Poer informed the court docket.
Following the channel’s reporting of the protests round Ms Amini’s dying, in November 2022 Iran’s Minister of Intelligence declared the TV station to be a terrorist organisation.
Iran’s state media subsequently reported that those that labored for Iran International had been “wanted” by the Ministry of Intelligence.
Mr de la Poer added: “As a result of the Iranian authorities’ attitude towards Iran International, the organisation and its employees all became targets for violent reprisals.
“As such, the safety at their place of business was of very actual and sensible curiosity to those that may want to perform such reprisals, whether or not that was to assault the constructing itself or the staff.”
The prosecution did not suggest that Dovtaev planned to carry out such an attack or even that he knew anything about what was planned by others.
However, Mr de la Poer told the jury: “The defendant, little question appearing on the directions of others, went to the Chiswick Business Park for the aim of gathering details about the safety preparations round Iran International.
“The very fact that the defendant went to collect this information for those who wanted to know about the security arrangements around Iran International demonstrates that planning by others was already under way.”
Dovtaev denies a single cost of making an attempt to gather data helpful for terrorism and the trial continues.
Source: information.sky.com”