Three alleged Iranian spies appear at Old Bailey

Three Iranian nationals charged with spying offences have appeared in court.  Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, charged with offences under the National Security Act.

They are alleged to have targeted journalists working for Iran International, an independent media organisation based in London. They are all charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist the Iranian foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025.

They arrived in the UK between 2016 and 2022 by irregular means, including by small boats and a lorry, and appeared in court via video link. They spoke through a Farsi translator to confirm their identities.

Sepahvand, of St John's Wood, is also charged with engaging in surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research, with the intention of committing serious violence against a person in the UK. Manesh, of Brent, and Noori, of Ealing, are additionally charged with surveillance and reconnaissance, with the intention that serious violence would be committed by others against a person in the UK.

Read more from Sky News:David Beckham to be knightedLottery winner could bag UK's biggest ever prize The plea hearing for the three men will take place on 26 September, and a provisional trial date has been set for 5 October 2026, according to Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb. The UK government summoned Iran's ambassador after the men were arrested on 3 May, saying Iran "must be held accountable for its actions".

The men were arrested on the same day as five other Iranian nationals, who were taken into custody as part of an entirely separate investigation. Four of those men remain in custody and were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

A fifth, a 24-year-old man in the Manchester area, was released on bail. Last October, MI5 director general Ken McCallum said the UK intelligence agency had responded to 20 "potentially lethal" Iran-backed plots since 2022, warning of the risk of an "increase or broadening of Iranian state aggression in the UK"..