From Attempted Bombing to Stabbing Murder; ITV News Report on IRGC's Plot to 'Assassinate' Two News Presenters

ITV News reported on Wednesday, December 20, that "agents of the Islamic Republic offered a human trafficker $200,000 to assassinate Sima Sabat and Ferdad Farahzad, two news presenters under the code name 'Bride and Groom' outside the London studio of Iran International TV." According to the report, their aim was to show regime critics that "they can be harmed at any time." An investigative journalist from ITV News managed to uncover the names of those involved and the details of their plans by obtaining videos and text messages exchanged as part of the plot. The report states that last autumn, spies intended to attack the Iranian International news channel's studios in West London with a car bomb, but due to increasing concerns over a month, they were forced to change their plans and instead issued orders to "simply stab the presenters with a kitchen knife." However, their plot was thwarted by the same human trafficker they had hired to arrange this "terrorist act." This trafficker, referred to as "Ismail" by ITV, shared details of the plot with the media outlet. Several officials have also confirmed his statements. According to Ismail, his commanders told him in October of last year: "This must be done in London at all costs." They apparently told him: "We must destroy them." Evidence shows the methods used by Iranian spies included hiring foreign criminals like Ismail instead of ideologues to carry out assassinations abroad. This was an attempt to exploit access to firearms while providing an opportunity for denial to Tehran. Evidence collected by ITV News revealed that despite efforts to cover their tracks, the group behind this plot was the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is the main branch of Iran's armed forces. The plan to deploy a bomb-laden vehicle outside the Iran International studios was changed at the last minute when the commanders behind the terrorist operation concluded that a knife attack would have a higher chance of success. According to the report, when investigations revealed that a large number of guards were protecting the studios, panic ensued among group members. They decided instead to attack targets within their homes. Ismail responded to ITV News's questions, saying: "The assassination should have been carried out at their place of residence, in their homes, in elevators, on stairs, or in hallways." When specialized officers from Scotland Yard became aware of this plot, they acted and warned Iran International. As a result, the television channel moved its broadcasts from London to the U.S. capital in November of last year. ITV News also mentions two other individuals: one is Abdul Razak Kanafani, identified as a senior organizer of the assassination group and a close associate of Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, and the other is Mohammad Reza Ansari, the main planner of the attack, an IRGC commander, and a close associate of Bashar al-Assad's family who is on the U.S. Department of State's sanctions list. According to ITV News, Ansari instructed Kanafani to refer to this assassination plot as a "wedding" to prevent identification and exposure of the operation. According to the report, Kanafani instructed Ismail in a phone call on October 22, 2022, to target the channel's managers instead of the presenters. In the recorded files of this conversation reviewed by ITV News, Kanafani sends the Iran International logo to his agent to help him identify their office among other companies in the area. Kanafani tells "Ismail": "I want the manager. The manager and his deputy, and five to six others. The director is the most important." The attack on the media outlet was reported by ITV News, stating that Iran International, which aims to provide an impartial narrative of the news, was targeted because spies believed its presenters had caused "humiliation of the Islamic Republic in the media." Ismail said: "This media accuses the Islamic Republic of wrongdoing, and we must destroy them to serve as a lesson for others who want to work at this television station, so anyone who takes their place will learn from what happened to them." The two presenters only learned a year later, when contacted by ITV News, that they were the targets of a murder plot. One of the presenters, Farzad Farzad, a former BBC News reporter, was based in London before moving his nightly program to Washington, D.C. Ferdad Farahzad, at the Iran International studio in the U.S., told ITV News: "I had no idea there was a specific threat against me." After seeing the evidence obtained by ITV News, he said: "Hearing from people who casually talk about harming me is shocking." Meanwhile, on the same day, a man accused of conducting "hostile espionage" against the Iran International TV network in London was convicted for collecting information that could be used in a terrorist attack. According to Reuters, Mohammad Hossein Douvatif traveled from Austria to London last year and went to the area where the Persian-language Iran International network's office is located. According to the prosecutor, the 31-year-old Douvatif went around the Iran International office to film the security measures in place after the network's reports on the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police and the onset of nationwide protests in Iran. Prosecutor Nicholas de la Poer said last week in the Old Bailey court in London that the Iranian Minister of Intelligence had declared Iran International a terrorist organization, and even before Douvatif, others had been monitoring this television network. Douvatif denied the charge of "attempting to gather information" for individuals who were "likely" preparing or committing a terrorist act against this Persian-language network. He claimed he was "played" in going to the Iran International office in London. Douvatif, providing evidence, claimed that he and his father were defrauded of about 20,000 euros and were told that the fraudsters could be found in a commercial building in West London, without knowing that this building was the Iran International office. He also denied any affiliation or support from the Islamic Republic in response to his lawyer's questions. The jury found Douvatif guilty at the end of the trial. He remained calm and showed no reaction when the verdict was announced. Judge Richard Marks said he would announce Douvatif's sentence on Friday. Following Douvatif's arrest, Iran International stated that it would move its live broadcasting studios to the U.S. due to threats faced in the UK. The network resumed its broadcasts from London in September of this year. A spokesperson for Iran International stated: "This trial serves as a reminder of the threats that journalists and news organizations face. Journalism worldwide is under attack by those seeking to suppress media freedom." The statement continued: "We will not be intimidated. Our journalists will continue to provide independent and uncensored news that the people of Iran deserve." It added: "Today's verdict sends a clear message that Britain remains a bastion of free speech, and threats against journalists will not be tolerated." This report was prepared using the investigative report of ITV News.