Two men charged in Romania over stabbing of Iranian journalist outside his London home

Two Romanian nationals have been charged after an Iranian journalist was stabbed outside his home in London, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Nandito Badea, 19, and George Stana, 23, were arrested in Romania on Wednesday.

They have been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and wounding after Pouria Zeraati was knifed in the leg while walking to his car in Wimbledon on March 29.

Badea and Stana will be extradited to the UK for criminal proceedings to take place.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “Following a review of the evidence provided by the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command, we have authorised charges against two Romanian nationals.

"They have both now appeared in a Romanian court for the start of extradition proceedings.

“We continue to work closely with Romanian authorities, to ensure that our extradition request is progressed through the courts."

Responding to the charges, Mr Zeraati told ITV News: “I’m happy. I hope justice will be served.

"And I hope this leads to major changes in policymaking towards the transnational repression threat in the UK & the EU.”

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He returned to his on-screen role at London-based dissident broadcaster Iran International just one week after the attack, and said the "show must go on".

Mr Zeraati has previously reported on anti-government protests and stories that are critical of the Iranian regime.

In March, Iran’s charge d’affaires in the UK Mehdi Hosseini Matin said the country "denies any link” to the incident.

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