2 men charged with spying for Iran on UK Jewish targets

Two men, Nematollah Shahsavani and Alireza Farasati, appeared in a London court on Thursday, charged with spying for Iran. Shahsavani, a dual Iranian-British national, and Farasati, an Iranian national, are accused of gathering information and conducting surveillance on Jewish targets in the UK over five weeks last summer. These targets allegedly included the Israeli embassy and consulate, London's Bevis Marks synagogue, a Jewish community center, and the Community Security Trust. Prosecutors allege that Shahsavani received instructions from Iranian intelligence services after traveling to Iran in April and then tasked Farasati with carrying out the surveillance. Devices seized from the men reportedly contained a list of these targets.

Two men, Nematollah Shahsavani and Alireza Farasati, have been charged in London with engaging in contact likely to assist Iranian intelligence. The charges relate to activities between July 9 and August 15 of last year, involving gathering information and reconnaissance of targets linked to the Jewish community in London. Both men were arrested on March 6 as part of a Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism investigation. Shahsavani and Farasati are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday. Police have stated that two other men arrested in connection with the investigation have been released without charge.