LONDON (AP) – British counter-terrorism police investigating the stabbing death of a journalist working for a television station critical of the Iranian government say three suspects fled the country within hours of the attack.
Puglia Zehrati, a presenter with London-based Iran International, was stabbed in the leg in front of her London home on Friday afternoon. Police said that after Zelati was released from the hospital, he was attacked by two men who fled in a car driven by another man.
“We can confirm that the suspects abandoned the vehicle before heading to Heathrow Airport and leaving the UK,” Commander Dominic Murphy, from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism Command, said in a statement late on Tuesday. “We are currently working with our international partners to establish further details.”
Counter-terrorism investigation begins after Iranian journalist stabbed to death outside London homehttps://t.co/LlBqFzFvVf
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 30, 2024
Police said the motive for the attack was still unclear, but that Zehrati’s occupation and recent threats against British-based Iranian journalists had triggered a counter-terrorism investigation. Iran International, a satellite news channel that broadcasts in Farsi, has previously received threats for its coverage of Iran.
Iran’s representative in the UK, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, said he “denies any connection” to the incident.
Police say they have thwarted “numerous” plots to kill or kidnap people considered enemies of the Iranian government in the UK. Police said officers were working with intelligence agencies to thwart any future plots and protect targeted organizations and individuals.
Early last year, Iran International temporarily closed its London operations and relocated to a studio in Washington, D.C., in response to escalating “state-sponsored threats from Iran.” The station reopened in September last year at a new location in London.
