A Greek citizen has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service — believed to be linked to Iran — in connection with the surveillance of a journalist working for the TV station Iran International, British police announced.
The accused is 46-year-old Ioannis Aidinidis, a resident of Munich, Germany, who is being prosecuted under the UK’s National Security Act. According to police, the case concerns the targeting of a journalist working for Iran International, a Persian-language media outlet based in the United Kingdom.
The Metropolitan Police stated that Aidinidis has been held in custody since his arrest on May 16 in West Sussex, southwest of London.
The development is part of a series of incidents linked to Iran International, which has said it faces a “continuous campaign of intimidation” and attempts to “silence” independent Persian-language journalism outside Iran. In the recent past, two young men and a minor appeared before a London court accused of attempting to set fire to the outlet’s offices, while there had also been a serious knife attack against one of the channel’s journalists near his home in London, which was investigated by British authorities.
Following the charges, Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, acknowledged that the case “may cause concern” in the UK, especially among employees of Persian-language media outlets. She noted that police are working with organizations and individuals to provide advice and support regarding security issues. Police added that they do not believe there is a broader threat to the public.
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