Terror scout jailed for spying on Iranian TV channel in London before 'planned attack'

ITV London's Kaf Okpattah explains the significance of Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev's spying case and how he was finally brought to justice

A terror scout has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for spying on a dissident Iranian television channel before a “planned attack” on British soil. Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, carried out hostile reconnaissance for others unknown at the London headquarters of Persian-language television channel Iran International in February. After a trial at the Old Bailey, the Chechnya-born Austrian was found guilty of trying to collect information for terrorist purposes.

Today, Judge Richard Marks KC, jailed Dovtaev for three years and six months with a further licence period of 12 months.

“There is of course no direct evidence in this case as to the precise use to which the video footage, if obtained, would have been put by others," the judge said.

"But I am satisfied to the criminal standard of proof that an attack of some sort on Iran International was the plan of those who were behind this."

Pictures and videos taken from Dovtaev's phone after his arrest featured security arrangements at the entrance gate and outside the building where Iran International were based.

“I conclude from that that there was an element of both planning and persistence on the part of those who were behind this, consistent with a planned attack and, moreover, they clearly trusted you to carry out this further reconnaissance," Mr Marks added.

Mitigating, Paul Keleher KC said there was every possibility Dovtaev was a “useful idiot” employed to go Iran International to provoke a security response and “put the wind up” employees. He said the idea Iran would contemplate a terrorist attack on a news organisation in England was “far-fetched”, but the judge was clearly not convinced.

Previously, Iran International spokesman Adam Baillie said its journalists would not be “cowed by threats”.

He said: “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.”

The sentencing comes after ITV News revealed how Iranian spies offered a people-smuggler $200,000 (around £158,290) to assassinate two news presenters outside Iran International's west London studio.

Last autumn the spies began plotting the assassinations, but their plan was foiled after the people-smuggler they hired turned out to be a double-agent.

Iran International had been highly critical of the Iranian government for years and publicly accused it of human rights violations, jurors were told. Last September, it reported on the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly violating headscarf rules.

Amid the subsequent protests in Iran, the country’s minister of intelligence designated the television channel a “terrorist organisation”. In November, state-owned Iranian media described Iran International as being on a “terror blacklist”.

Jurors at Dovtaev's trial were told of close political ties between Iran, Russia and Chechnya, where the defendant was born. Since 2019, Iran has been in a strategic alliance with Russia.

Commenting on the case, Metropolitan Police 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 considerable amount of time, we’ve been worried 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. “We don’t know who did it but we have always been concerned about threats projected into the UK, and in this case particularly against Persian language media. “I’m pleased to say the company are still broadcasting from London but just in a different location now.” Fifteen plots “generated from Iran” against individuals or organisations in the UK have been disrupted and police are alive to the threat from the hostile state, he said.

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