UK authorities on Friday charged a Greek national for allegedly spying on a London-based Persian-language journalist on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency believed to be linked to Iran, marking the latest such case to emerge in Britain.
Ioannis Aidinidis, 46, who resides in Munich, Germany, appeared before a London court after being charged under the UK’s National Security Act following an investigation conducted by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.
Prosecutors told the court that Aidinidis was allegedly paid to travel to Britain twice during April and May 2026 to conduct surveillance on a journalist associated with Iran International, a Persian-language television channel that has faced a series of attacks in recent years allegedly backed by Iran.
Aidinidis has remained in custody since his arrest in West Sussex, located southwest of London, on May 16, according to London’s Metropolitan Police.
Prosecutor Lee Ingham informed the court that Aidinidis allegedly took photographs and recorded videos of addresses and vehicle registration numbers connected to the journalist.
During his second visit to the UK, he allegedly “installed a covert camera hidden in a sock”, which prosecutors said “was capable of transmitting data to unknown individuals overseas”.
“The country to which the allegations relate is believed to be Iran and the allegations relate to the targeting of a UK-based journalist working for Iran International,” the Met added.
The court was informed that journalists working for Iran International have been “openly targeted” by the Iranian authorities.
Aidinidis was remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Old Bailey central criminal court on June 19.
Last month, Iran International stated that it was facing a “sustained effort to intimidate” the organisation and “silence independent Persian-language journalism beyond Iran’s borders”.
In April, two young men and a teenage boy appeared before a London court after being charged in connection with an attempted arson attack on the broadcaster’s offices.
The privately owned channel, which operates from a heavily secured building in west London, was designated a “terrorist” organisation by Tehran in 2022 along with the BBC’s Persian-language service.
In 2023, acting on advice from British counter-terrorism authorities, the broadcaster temporarily shut down its London operations and transmitted from Washington for seven months.
A year later, one of the network’s journalists was stabbed near his residence in London, prompting an investigation by Scotland Yard.
Following the charges against Aidinidis, Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, acknowledged that the case “may cause concern for many people here in the UK, and particularly those working in Persian-language media”.
Police, however, said they did not believe there was any broader threat to the general public.
Trump to decide imminently on Iran deal
US President Donald Trump said he would decide on Friday over a potentialdeal with Iran to extend their ceasefire that would need to include opening the Strait of Hormuz and dismantling Tehran’s capacity to make a nuclear weapon.
“I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination,” he said, referring to the White House’s nerve centre for monitoring global crises.
According to Reuters, a deal was in the offing to extend a truce in place since early April for another 60 days to allow oil and gas shipments to resume through the strategic waterway while negotiators tackle tricky issues such as Iran’s nuclear program.
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