Two Iranians convicted of spying for their country after entering Britain illegally

Two Iranian nationals who arrived in the UK illegally have been found guilty of spying for their country in the first case of its kind.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, carried out surveillance and reconnaissance between August 2024 and March last year in a scheme to inflict violence on "subjects" in the UK.

Among their targets were Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, journalists for London-based Persian broadcaster Iran International, and Jonathan Turner, a founder member of UK Lawyers for Israel.

The pair visited addresses linked to their targets, took photos and videos and used platforms such as ChatGPT to research them online.

The prosecution said Sepahvand, who came to Britain in a lorry, intended to carry out a "violent attack" against at least one of the men.

Manesh, who arrived by small boat, assisted in planning.

After a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, they were found guilty on Thursday.

A third man, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was cleared of the charge.

Counter-terrorism police say it's the first time Iranian nationals have been prosecuted for National Security Act offences.

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(c) Sky News 2026: Two Iranians convicted of spying for their country after entering Britain illegally