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Two men, Nematollah Shahsavani and Alireza Farasati, have pleaded not guilty to surveillance activities they allegedly carried out for Iran's intelligence service between July 9 and August 15 last year. Prosecutors claim the pair targeted Jewish and Israeli sites in London, including the Israeli embassy, a college, and Britain’s oldest synagogue. Shahsavani, a dual British-Iranian national working as a car salesman, is accused of directing Farasati to gather intelligence on these communities, while Farasati was stopped by police with electronic devices suspected to contain evidence of his involvement.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
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 charges under the National Security Act for allegedly conducting surveillance on behalf of Iran. The pair are accused of gathering information from July to August 2025 on targets including the Israeli Embassy, Bevis Marks Synagogue, and other Jewish sites in London. Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb noted that one target was an unnamed individual "of intelligence interest" to Iran. Both men were remanded in custody until their next hearing in February, with a trial set for April. Prosecutors claim Shahsavani directed Farasati's activities, while both maintain innocence despite the allegations of espionage against Israel and Jewish targets in Britain.
Written for “Iran Espionage Trial” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 68372 · logged 2026-10-09
- Published
Two men have pleaded not guilty to carrying out surveillance on Jewish and Israeli sites across London on behalf of Iran's intelligence service.
asserted
men → publish → service
Nematollah Shahsavani, 41, and Alireza Farasati, 22, are accused of engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act 2023.
asserted
Shahsavani → accuse → Act
Prosecutors allege the pair carried out hostile reconnaissance at several locations between 9 July and 15 August last year.
asserted
pair → allege → July
Targets allegedly included the Israeli embassy and consulate, a woman said to be of interest to Iran, a college, and Britain's oldest synagogue.
uncertain
Targets → include → Iran
Both defendants entered their not not guilty pleas during an appearance at the Old Bailey on Friday.
asserted
defendants → enter → Friday
Farasati appeared in person in the dock, while Shahsavani attended via video link from HMP Pentonville.
asserted
Shahsavani → appear → Pentonville
The court previously heard that police confiscated electronic devices from Farasati, a barber, when he was stopped on 14 August last year.
asserted
he → hear → August
Prosecutors allege that Shahsavani directed Farasati to monitor and gather intelligence on London's Jewish and Israeli communities.
asserted
Shahsavani → allege → communities
Shahsavani, who works as a car salesman and delivery driver, was allegedly acting on instructions from Iranian intelligence.
uncertain
who → work → intelligence
Shahsavani, a dual British-Iranian national and father of two from North Finchley, north London, has lived in the UK since 2009.
asserted
Shahsavani → live → 2009
Farasati, an Iranian national living in Colindale, north-west London, arrived in Britain as a 17-year-old in 2021.
asserted
Farasati → live → 2021
Mrs Judge Cheema-Grubb scheduled a further pre-trial hearing for 12 February, with a full trial due to begin at the Old Bailey on 26 April next year.
asserted
trial → schedule → April
Both men, who were detained in March, remain in custody.
asserted
who → detain → custody
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