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Two men deny carrying out surveillance for Iran of Israeli embassy in UK
Reuters, London
Published: 09 Oct 2026, 05:11 PM
A general view of the Israeli Embassy on 23 March 2010 in London, England. Photo: Collected
Two men accused of being tasked by Iran to carry out hostile
surveillance on the Israeli Embassy in London, Britain's oldest synagogue and
other Israeli or Jewish targets pleaded not guilty on Friday.
Nematollah Shahsavani, a 41-year-old dual Iranian-British
national, and Alireza Farasati, a 22-year-old Iranian national, appeared at
London's Old Bailey court and denied a single offence under the National
Security Act.
The pair are alleged to have gathered information and
undertaken reconnaissance in July and August 2025, with a list of targets
including the Israeli Embassy, the Israeli Consulate and London's Bevis Marks
Synagogue.
Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said one of the alleged targets also included an unnamed individual "of intelligence interest" to Iran.
Shahsavani and Farasati were remanded in custody ahead of
their next court appearance in February, with their trial due to begin in
April.
Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in hostile activity
in Britain, which authorities say has markedly increased since the Hamas
attacks on Israel in October 2023 that triggered the subsequent war in Gaza.