A Chechen-born man has been discovered responsible of spying on a London-based dissident Iranian TV station to assist terror plotters.
Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, was accused of conducting surveillance on the west London headquarters of Iran International as a part of a plan by others to hold out a terror assault.
He was discovered responsible of 1 cost of making an attempt to gather info helpful for terrorism.
Asked why he had taken an curiosity within the constructing and its environment, he advised the Old Bailey he “quite simply liked it” and was “in wonder at the architecture”.
Prosecutors mentioned Dovtaev, an Austrian citizen, initially from Chechnya, covertly filmed materials on his telephone with a purpose to “identify vulnerabilities” within the media firm’s safety which may very well be exploited by others.
Prosecutor Nicholas De La Poer KC mentioned the Persian-language TV channel and its workers had change into targets for violent reprisals over its reporting of protests in Iran, sparked by the loss of life of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022 following her detention by the nation’s morality police.
Dovtaev didn’t react within the dock when the unanimous verdict was delivered.
He has been remanded into custody and can be sentenced on Friday.
‘We is not going to be cowed by threats’
After the choice, Iran International spokesman Adam Baillie mentioned its journalists wouldn’t be “cowed by threats”.
He mentioned: “This trial was a reminder of the threats journalists and news organisations face. Journalism is under attack across the world from those who seek to suppress media freedom.
“We is not going to be cowed by threats. Our journalists will proceed to offer the unbiased, uncensored information the folks of Iran deserve.”
Met commander Dominic Murphy said counter-terrorism police were “very alive” to the threat posed by Iran to potential targets on British soil.
The head of the Met’s SO15 Counter-terrorism Command said: “For a substantial period of time, we have been nervous about threats projected into the UK from Iran.
“At this time, we don’t know why Dovtaev was conducting this activity except to say that we believe very strongly that it was for terrorism.”
He confirmed Iran International was nonetheless broadcasting from London however in a distinct location.
Iran has declared the TV station to be a terrorist organisation.
Dovtaev denied the cost, telling the court docket he was “set up” by an unknown contact.
He advised the jury he did not know why he had been despatched to Chiswick Business Park – then house to Iran International’s headquarters – and that he felt he had been tricked by his contact, whose identification he didn’t know.
Giving proof in his defence, Dovtaev admitted that he had taken a video on his telephone in the course of the enterprise park.
He advised the court docket: “You have got these buildings and in the middle of it you have got the lake and I was in wonder of such architecture, I quite simply liked it.”
Prosecutors mentioned they weren’t suggesting that Dovtaev himself aimed to hold out or take part in an assault on the constructing or its workers.
The court docket heard Dovtaev arrived at Gatwick from Vienna on 11 February this 12 months with a purpose to perform “hostile reconnaissance”.
He travelled on to the headquarters the place he was noticed strolling “nonchalantly” previous the constructing.
Subsequent examination of his telephone urged that he was recording the safety preparations as he walked by.
He was approached by safety who realised he was talking on his Apple Airpod earphones and insulting them in Russian.
They directed him to a espresso store the place armed police arrested him as he sat at a desk.
His go to was mentioned to be the latest in a collection of at the very least three such visits by “others unknown”, who had additionally taken movies, starting in the summertime of 2022.
Source: information.sky.com”