Austrian Citizen of Chechen Descent Charged with Terrorist Conspiracy in London

An Austrian citizen in Britain has been charged with 'terrorist conspiracy' from a Persian network. According to AFP, a Chechen-born Austrian citizen was accused on Monday in London of spying for a group that was allegedly preparing to attack a Persian-language television network in the British capital. His trial began on Monday. Anti-terrorism officers arrested Magomed-Hussein Dovtayev, 31, who is originally from Chechnya, on February 11 in West London. He has been accused of possessing information that could potentially aid someone intending to commit a terrorist act or preparing for such an act. He has previously declared his innocence. Prosecutor Nicholas de la Poer told the jury at the Old Bailey court in central London that Dovtayev boarded a plane and traveled from Vienna to London to gather 'hostile information' about the building where the Persian-language network Iran International was located. The prosecutor stated, 'The fact that the defendant went to collect this information indicates that others had planned it in advance.' The Islamic Republic of Iran labeled the Iran International network as a terrorist organization following protests related to the death of Mahsa Amini. The prosecutor noted, 'The prosecutor's argument is that as a result of the Iranian authorities' attitude towards Iran International, this organization and its employees have all become targets of retaliatory actions.' The prosecutor mentioned that there is additional evidence in this case.