LONDON: An Austrian national was found guilty at a UK court Wednesday of spying for a group that may have been preparing to attack an independent Iranian TV station in London.
Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, who is originally from Chechnya, was convicted by a jury at the Old Bailey court in central London following a short trial.
The 31-year-old had pled not guilty to possession of records containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
He was detained by counter-terrorism officers in west London on February 11.
Prosecutors told his trial that Dovtaev boarded a plane from Vienna to London to gather “hostile reconnaissance” on a building occupied by the Persian-language channel Iran International.
The channel’s journalists had reported on alleged human rights violations in the country.
The Iranian government declared Iran International a terrorist organization after it reported on protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
She died in September last year after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women.
Amini’s death triggered months of nationwide demonstrations under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
The prosecution argued that the Iranian authorities’ attitude toward Iran International had made its employees “targets for violent reprisals.”
Dovtaev is due to be sentenced on Friday and faces up to 15 years in prison.
In response to the verdict, Iran International said the trial was a reminder of the threats journalists and news organizations face.
“Today’s verdict sends a clear message that the UK remains a bastion of free speech where threats against journalists will not be tolerated,” it said.
“We will not be cowed by threats. Our journalists will continue to provide the independent, uncensored news the people of Iran deserve.”
Austrian national convicted in UK over Iran TV ‘terror plot’
https://arab.news/zdrbr
Austrian national convicted in UK over Iran TV ‘terror plot’
- Dovtaev boarded a plane from Vienna to London to gather ‘hostile reconnaissance’ on a building occupied by the Persian-language channel Iran International
- Iranian government declared Iran International a terrorist organization after it reported on protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini
Bondi Beach attack hero says wanted to protect ‘innocent people’
DUBAI: Bondi Beach shooting hero Ahmed Al Ahmed recalled the moment he ran toward one of the attackers and wrenched his shotgun away, saying the only thing he had in mind was to stop the assailant from “killing more innocent people.”
Al-Ahmad’s heroism was widely acclaimed in Australia when he tackled and disarmed gunman Sajid Akram who fired at Jewish people attending a Hanukkah event on December 14, killing 15 people and wounding dozens.
“My target was just to take the gun from him, and to stop him from killing a human being’s life and not killing innocent people,” he told CBS News in an interview on Monday.
“I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry for the lost.”
In footage viewed by millions of people, Al Ahmed was seen ducking between parked cars as the shooting unfolded, then wresting a gun from one of the assailants.
He was shot several times in the shoulder as a result and underwent several rounds of surgery.
“I jumped in his back, hit him and … hold him with my right hand and start to say a word like, you know, to warn him, ‘Drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing’,” Al Ahmed said.
“I don’t want to see people killed in front of me, I don’t want to see blood, I don’t want to hear his gun, I don’t want to see people screaming and begging, asking for help,” Al Ahmed told the television network.
“That’s my soul asked me to do that, and everything in my heart, and my brain, everything just worked, you know, to manage and to save the people’s life,” he said.
EXCLUSIVE: Ahmed al Ahmed, the man hailed as a hero for tackling one of the gunmen behind an antisemitic attack on Australia's Bondi Beach earlier this month, is speaking out in the aftermath of the massacre.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 28, 2025
"I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry still for the lost." pic.twitter.com/gFUfJvv7c6
Al Ahmed was at the beach getting a cup of coffee when the shooting occurred.
He is a father of two who emigrated to Australia from Syria in 2007, and works as a fruit seller.
Local media reported that the Australian government has fast-tracked and granted a number of visas for Al Ahmed’s family following his act of bravery.
“Ahmed has shown the courage and values we want in Australia,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
One of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in custody on charges including terrorism and 15 murders, as well as committing a “terrorist act” and planting a bomb with intent to harm.
(with AFP)
