Two men accused of conducting hostile surveillance on behalf of Iran's Intelligence Service on targets including the Israeli Embassy in London and Britain's oldest synagogue have pleaded not guilty. Nematollah Shahsavani, 41, and Alireza Farasati, 22, denied a single offense under the National Security Act at London's Old Bailey court. Their trial is scheduled for April.
Shahsavani, who holds dual Iranian-British nationality and came to the UK in 2009, and Farasati, an Iranian national who arrived in the UK in 2021, are alleged to have gathered information and undertaken reconnaissance in July and August 2025, with some activities also alleged in February 2026. The prosecution's allegations include reconnaissance of a Jewish community center, a campus with a school, an organization providing security advice to the Jewish community, and the Israeli consulate.
The men were arrested 13 days prior to their court appearance on Thursday at Westminster Magistrates' Court, where they confirmed their names and dates of birth through an interpreter. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ordered them to remain in custody until their next appearance at the Old Bailey on April 17.