Iranian journalist stabbing suspects ‘have left the UK’, say police

THREE suspects who are wanted in connection with the stabbing of an Iranian journalist last week are believed to have fled the country within hours of the attack, police said last night.

Officers were called to an address in

Wimbledon, south-west London at 2.49pm on Friday after Pouria Zeraati, an Iranian international journalist, was attacked and left with a leg injury.

He has since been discharged from hospital.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Detectives have established the victim was approached by two men in a residential street and attacked. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle driven by a third male.

“The vehicle – a blue Mazda 3 – was abandoned in the New Malden area shortly after the attack. Detectives have located the vehicle and it is being examined by forensic experts. Searches in the area continue. The investigation team has established that after abandoning the vehicle, the suspects travelled directly to Heathrow Airport and left the UK within a few hours of the attack.”

Detectives have said it remains “unclear” why Mr Zeraati was attacked and officers are keeping an open mind about the motive.

The stabbing is being investigated by specialist officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command (CTC) because threats have previously been made to Iran International journalists in the UK. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the CTC, said: “As a result of a very comprehensive investigation, at pace, we have identified three suspects who we believe, left the UK within hours of the attack.

“[After] abandoning the vehicle, the suspects travelled to Heathrow Airport and have left the UK.”