Man accused of carrying out attack on behalf of Iran says his friend did it

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Man accused of carrying out attack on behalf of Iran says his friend did it47 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleDaniel SandfordUK correspondent, Woolwich Crown CourtReutersNandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, as sketched at Woolwich Crown CourtA Romanian builder accused of stabbing an Iranian opposition journalist in Wimbledon on behalf of Iran has said that it was a friend who wielded the knife. Nandito Badea, 21, told a jury at Woolwich Crown Court that he believed his task had been to carry out surveillance on a man who was suspected of sleeping with another man's wife. He and fellow Romanian George Stana are facing charges of wounding and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm over the stabbing of journalist Pouria Zeraati in March 2024.

They both deny the charges. The prosecution say the stabbing had been organised on behalf of Iran. Giving evidence on Friday, Badea said it was his friend David Andrei - who is not on trial - who stabbed the journalist and he had not expected it.

The Details

Badea told the jury that he started work as a professional footballer while still in his teens, playing for Romanian clubs Astra Giurgiu and CS Blejoi. But he then quit football because of the low pay, and started working in construction. He described being approached after work in February 2024 by two men offering him construction work in the UK.

He said Constantin "Bebe" Matache and Catalin Dumitru promised him £3,000 a month, and on 22 February 2024 he flew into Stansted Airport on Ryanair. He and a Romanian friend, Andrei, who travelled with him were put up in a hotel and provided with a car, but the construction work never materialised. The jury has been told that Andrei is not on trial because he could not be extradited from Romania.

After a few days, Badea told the jury, it was suggested that he and Andrei should carry out surveillance on a man "to see if Bebe's wife was visiting this gentleman's house". He said they had been told there was a suspicion that Bebe's wife was sleeping with the man. The man lived in Wimbledon and Badea and Andrei went down to his home on Queensmere Road several times to carry out "reconnaissance", he said.

What Experts Say

He told the jury that at the time he did not know the man's name was Pouria Zeraati, nor that he was a prominent journalist opposed to the regime in Iran. "I didn't believe that man would suffer any harm or anything," he told the jury. On the day of the attack, 29 March 2024, he travelled to Wimbledon with Andrei and Stana, who was driving.

He said that on the way the other two men persuaded him to smoke some cannabis and take a "half pill". He said this made him feel unwell. He said Andrei told him to "interact" with Zeraati.

"I was instructed to go and ask for £3," he said. He told the jury that as Zeraati walked up to his parked Tesla he asked him for some money, as instructed. At that point he saw his friend Andrei approaching.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.