A Woolwich Crown Court jury convicted two men Thursday, Nov. 12, of helping a foreign intelligence service after the Metropolitan Police said they gathered detailed information on journalists and other people in Britain.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were found guilty under section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which covers assistance to a foreign intelligence service. Sepahvand was also convicted under section 18 on a separate charge related to preparations for serious violence. Manesh was acquitted on that charge, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori was cleared of all charges.
The Metropolitan Police said the surveillance, reconnaissance and online research took place from August 2024 to March 2025. Police said the surveillance targeted two Iran International journalists, a lawyer working for UK Lawyers for Israel and a media production professional. Investigators reviewed 534 GB of data and found briefing documents on the men’s phones with target photographs, work addresses, vehicle details and pets’ names.
Police said a promised £150,000 and the prospect of help from contacts in Iran to resolve a theft conviction there were among Sepahvand’s motivations. A separate message cited by prosecutors included the phrase “finish [the target] off” alongside a request for £150,000. The CPS said the defendants were stopped before an attack could take place.
Vicki Evans, deputy assistant commissioner and senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said people are often assigned tasks through social media in return for promises of large sums. Police said Evans described the case as the fourth in recent years involving a direct threat to Iran International journalists.
The next court date is Dec. 17, 2026, for sentencing at the Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, according to the CPS.
