An Iranian TV journalist who was stabbed outside his London home on Friday shared a defiant photo of himself in hospital after a colleague at his broadcaster said threats against his staff had “escalated dramatically”.
Pouria Zeraati, presenter at London Broadcasting Corporation Iran International, yes leg stabbed Outside his home in Wimbledon, south London, on Friday afternoon.
A photo the 36-year-old shared on social media on Saturday afternoon showed him making a “peace” sign with his fingers from his hospital bed.
Police said the motive for the attack was unclear but his profession – coupled with recent threats against Iranian journalists based in the UK – meant the investigation was being led by specialist counter-terrorism officers.
Priya Zelati.Picture: Iran International
Iran International spokesman Adam Bailey said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been targeting its broadcasters.
Mr Bailey added that in October 2022, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – the Tehran regime’s key security force – “openly” and “nakedly” warned Iranian international organizations that “we are coming to get you”.
Asked about the motive behind the attack itself, he said: “We can’t say. The fact that counter-terrorism is leading the investigation probably speaks for itself.”
But he added that Zerati had previously received death threats and that threats against Iranian international staff had “escalated dramatically” over time.
It is understood that since 2022, police have foiled a number of plots to kidnap or kill individuals in the UK or in the UK considered enemies of the Iranian regime.
“We deny any link to Friday’s knife attack,” Iran’s charge d’affaires in the UK, Mehdi Hosseini Mateen, said.
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But Iran international’s Mr Pele told Sky News: “I just spoke to him [Mr Zeraati]… He sounded fine — obviously shaken by the whole thing.
“But he’s recovering well and looking forward to getting back to work, which is great.
“This is shocking as this is the first physical attack on a member of staff.
“But our staff have been under considerable threat for a year and a half.”
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