Ioannis Aidinidis, a 46-year-old Greek man, is accused of plotting to harm a journalist for the Iran International news site, which is affiliated with Iran’s opposition and is based in London. In an article published Saturday in Britain’s Daily Mail, Aidinidis, who was arrested after an investigation by London’s counterterrorism unit, allegedly used a hidden camera concealed inside a sock to spy on the journalist.
Aidinidis, a Georgian-born Munich resident, appeared Friday before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in England. He is charged with assisting a foreign intelligence agency, apparently Iranian, and violating the National Security Act. According to the indictment, he visited Britain twice and installed the surveillance camera so he could “send information to unidentified individuals abroad.”
Prosecutor Daniel Ingham told the court that Aidinidis allegedly visited addresses linked to the journalist during both trips, photographed properties and vehicle license plates and received funding to carry out the surveillance. Ingham added that journalists working for the opposition outlet have been openly targeted by Iran’s ayatollah regime. He cited previous cases in which the site’s photographers appeared on “wanted: dead or alive” posters.
Helen Flanagan, head of London’s counterterrorism unit, said: “We know this may cause concern for many people here in the UK, and particularly those working in Persian-language media. We continue to work closely with a number of organizations and individuals to provide them with advice and support around their safety and security, and this includes the specific individual and organization linked to this investigation.”
“If anyone has concerns around their safety,” Flanagan added, “then they can contact their local police force and further advice and support can be provided.” Police said there were no indications of a wider threat to the public.
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Pouria Zeraati, an Iran International presenter, was stabbed outside his home in 2022; Iran denied any involvement
In March 2024, journalist Pouria Zeraati, host of “The Last Word” on Iran International, who also interviewed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a year ago, was stabbed. Details of the case showed that a man approached Zeraati and tried to speak with him outside his home, while another man appeared behind him and stabbed him with a knife. According to the report, the two men then fled the scene in a car driven by a third suspect. Iran denied any involvement at the time.
Since 2022, British police have thwarted several plots to murder or kidnap people Iran considers enemies of the ayatollah regime. In 2023, the outlet temporarily suspended its London operations and moved to Washington after reporting an escalation in “threats coming from Iran, backed by the regime.” It resumed operations in Britain in September of that year.
In 2022, Britain’s ITV reported on a Revolutionary Guards plot to kill two Iran International TV presenters, Sima Sabet and Fardad Farahzad, in knife attacks outside their homes, the same method used in the attack on Zeraati. According to the Daily Mail, the would-be assassins were offered more than 150,000 pounds to kill the two, but the plot failed after one of them began working as a double agent.