Two men have appeared in court accused of carrying out “hostile surveillance” for Iran on sites and individuals linked to the Jewish community.
Nematollah Shahsavani, a dual Iranian-British national aged 40, and Alireza Farasati, an Iranian national aged 22, have both been charged with engaging in contact likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between 9 July and 15 August last year.
The Metropolitan Police said the men were arrested and detained earlier this month following a counter-terrorism investigation into alleged surveillance of locations and individuals in the London area.
During a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Mr Shahsavani appeared wearing a blue puffa jacket and blue jeans. The delivery driver spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth, assisted by a Farsi interpreter.
Mr Farasati, who is a trained barber, appeared alongside his co-defendant in the dock wearing a black jacket and grey trousers.
Prosecutor Louise Attrill told the court: “The two defendants are suspected of assisting the Iranian Intelligence Service (IIS) by conducting hostile surveillance of locations and individuals linked to the Israeli and Jewish community.”
Mr Shahsavani is said to have “tasked” Mr Farasati “to conduct the surveillance activity against Israeli and Jewish sites and possible targets linked to the Iranian intelligence service”.
Sites include the Jewish Community Centre in north London and Bevis Marks Synagogue in central London, which is Britain’s oldest synagogue, the Sternberg Centre for Judaism in Finchley and the Community Security Trust charity, the court heard.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told a woman living in the UK who has been suspected of being a Mossad agent is also alleged to have been targeted.
Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring told the pair their case is indictable only and would be heard at the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey. He remanded them in custody for a further hearing 17 April.
Mr Shahsavani, a father-of-two of Sandringham Gardens in North Finchley, north London, has lived in the UK since 2009.
The court heard Mr Farasati, of Sanday Drive in Colindale, north-west London, moved to the UK as a 17-year-old in 2021.
Announcing the charges on Wednesday, Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS special crime and counter-terrorism division, said: “We have decided to prosecute two men for an offence under the National Security Act.”
He added: “The charge relates to carrying out activities in the UK such as gathering information and undertaking reconnaissance of targets.
“The country to which the charge relates is Iran. We have worked closely with the Counter Terrorism Command at the Metropolitan Police as they have carried out their investigation.
“We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against these defendants are active and that they have the right to a fair trial.
“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism policing said: “These are extremely serious charges under the National Security Act, which have come about following what has been a very complex investigation.
“Since the men were arrested two weeks ago, detectives have been working around the clock to gather and assess the evidence and we have liaised closely with colleagues in the CPS to reach this point.
“We fully recognise that the public – and in particular the Jewish community – will be concerned but I hope this investigation reassures them that we will not hesitate to take action if we identify there may be a threat to their safety, and will be relentless in our pursuit of those who may be responsible.
“Counter Terrorism Policing work closely with front line officers across the country to keep communities safe.
“Any concerns from the public can be shared with local policing teams or via national reporting tools such as gov.uk/ACT.”
Two other men were arrested on 6 March as part of the investigation and have been released without charge.
