DUBAI: Three men suspected of being involved in the stabbing of Iranian TV host Pouria Zeraati in London have left the UK, the Metropolitan Police reportedly said.
Zeraati, a presenter for independent Persian-language outlet Iran International, was stabbed outside his home in Wimbledon, southwest London, last Friday.
He was admitted to the hospital with leg injuries and was discharged on Monday.
London’s Metropolitan Police Counter Terror Command confirmed on Friday it was leading an investigation into the incident, and on Monday said it had made progress.
Dominic Murphy, chief of the CTC, said: “We have identified three suspects who we believe left the UK within hours of the attack.”
Although detectives have not been able to establish a motive for the attack, they were able to identify how it took place.
They said Zeraati was approached by two men and stabbed before the pair fled in a blue Mazda 3 driven by a third male.
The car was found abandoned shortly after.
After abandoning the car, the suspects traveled to Heathrow Airport and left the UK, Murphy said.
“We are now working with international partners to establish further details,” he added.
Tehran had in November 2022 allegedly plotted to kill two Iran International TV anchors, Sima Sabet and Fardad Farahzad.
“Because the victim is a journalist at a Persian-language media organization based in the UK, and previous threats had been directed towards this group of journalists, the incident is being investigated by specialist officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command,” the police said in a statement.
Iran’s government has denied any involvement. Iran’s envoy in the UK, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, denied “any link” to Friday’s incident.
