Two charged with spying on London’s Jewish community for Iran
Two Iranian nationals were charged in the UK with spying and intelligence gathering for Iran on sites and individuals connected to the Jewish community. Their trial begins on Thursday morning.
The pair, Iranian-British national Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, and Iranian citizen Alireza Farasati, 22, are accused of “engaging in contact likely to assist a foreign intelligence service” in the London area between 9 July and 15 August 2025.
The "foreign intelligence service" cited in the indictment is Iran, Metropolitan Police said. The two are expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
The charges follow an extensive investigation by London’s Counter-Terrorism Command, which led to the arrest of four men including Shahsavani and Farasati two weeks ago. The other two suspects were later released without charge. The operation focused on alleged espionage activities targeting Jewish sites and individuals in London.
"We have decided to prosecute two men for an offence under the National Security Act,” confirmed Frank Ferguson, head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division at the Crown Prosecution Service.
Dov Gil-Har is a corespondent for KAN 11.
