A United Kingdom-based journalist for independent Iranian media who was attacked outside his London home, prompting a counter-terrorism police probe, is “doing very well”, his news channel said on Saturday.
Pouria Zeraati, a presenter for Persian-language outlet Iran International was in stable condition, the channel’s spokesman Adam Baillie said.
“He’s doing very well actually. He’s in the hospital recovering from the attack,” Baillie told BBC radio, calling Friday’s attack “a shocking, shocking incident whatever the outcome of (the) investigation reveals”.
The Metropolitan Police in London has stated that its counter-terrorism unit is conducting an investigation into the stabbing incident, particularly in light of previous threats made by Iran against perceived adversaries in Britain.
While the motive remains unclear, officers are maintaining an open-minded approach, with the victim’s profession as a journalist at a Persian-language media outlet based in the UK being considered.
Zeraati, who is in his 30s, suffered leg injuries during the assault that occurred in the afternoon outside his residence in Wimbledon, southwest London.
Iran International, in an announcement on social media, highlighted that the incident followed Tehran’s alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate two of its television presenters in 2022.
Additionally, Adam Baillie from the channel mentioned that their journalists, along with their families and others, have faced repeated targeting and threats from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
“Along with our colleagues at BBC Persian, Iran International has been under threat, very heavy threats, for the last 18 months since the IRGC said ‘We’re coming for you’,” he added.
Baillie said the paramilitary security force gets “in touch through proxies” and its tactics include taking in relatives for questioning and threatening in Iran.
“The scale of that has increased dramatically over the last few months. And the scale and the type of questioning is more aggressive,” he added.
